# I did something I never thought I’d do. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 1, 2018, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391 "2018-05-01T05:51:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/1 "2018-05-01T05:51:30Z")
When I renewed my driver’s license recently I was asked, as is normal, if I wanted to register to vote. I was registered, of course, so I declined to re-register, but the next question made me stop and think: it was about my party affiliation, and whether it remained the same or wanted to change it. As I have said since time immemorial, I have always registered as an independent, knowing that I was sacrificing any influence in the primaries to maintain whatever ideological independence I had. And then the Democrats nominated Hillary, and then we got stuck with Donald Trump. I could no longer sit on the sidelines. As my ideology has changed over the years to the point where I don’t know if I can ever in good conscience vote for a Republican ever again, I made the decision to formalize that. I am now a registered member of the Democratic Party. Who among you could have imagined that in 2001 when I started here? Or in 2003 when I (to my shame) supported the invasion of Iraq? Even my stance on gun rights has evolved, though it is far from what you might consider mainstream Democratic principles. The simple fact is that I am not the person I was then, which has both good and bad points. Nevertheless, I am now a Democrat. It’s as weird to type that as it is to read that, I assure you. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/2 "2018-05-01T05:56:57Z")
I am impressed with your public declaration; it is forceful and direct. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/3 "2018-05-01T06:01:55Z")
What in the fuck? You declare your federal party affiliation as part of your driver’s licence application? What? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/4 "2018-05-01T06:07:59Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > What in the fuck? > > You declare your federal party affiliation as part of your driver’s licence application? > > What? Pennsylvania has what is called the Motor Voter Law, which is intended to make registering to vote easier by making it a part of the process of renewing your driver’s license. I believe most states do the same. You are not required to do so, but why wouldn’t you? The state only cares insofar as they send your notification to the party headquarters. It’s not like they don’t already know, they verify your identity and your eligibility to vote in the primary at the polling place. I’m not sure what the big deal is. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/5 "2018-05-01T06:08:21Z")
I have never had to answer that question at the dmv. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/6 "2018-05-01T06:10:44Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > What in the fuck? > > You declare your federal party affiliation as part of your driver’s licence application? > > What? Rock the vote, man! Didn’t you get the empty vee and Tabitha Soren in the 80’s in North USA? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/7 "2018-05-01T06:37:57Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Pennsylvania has what is called the Motor Voter Law, which is intended to make registering to vote easier by making it a part of the process of renewing your driver’s license. I believe most states do the same. You are not required to do so, but why wouldn’t you? The state only cares insofar as they send your notification to the party headquarters. It’s not like they don’t already know, they verify your identity and your eligibility to vote in the primary at the polling place. > > I’m not sure what the big deal is. The big deal is that, to me, as a Canadian, they seem so very disconnected. How dare the driver’s license people ask me who I want to vote for? I can’t even come up with a suitable analogy. It’s just so completely bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/8 "2018-05-01T06:42:12Z")
Congrats! Trump has done some good after all. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/9 "2018-05-01T07:46:20Z")
For some reason the first thing that flashed through my head when I saw the thread title was something about having sex with a mime. That doesn’t seem like the kind of thing most people would talk about. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/10 "2018-05-01T07:52:41Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > The big deal is that, to me, as a Canadian, they seem so very disconnected. How dare the driver’s license people ask me who I want to vote for? > > I can’t even come up with a suitable analogy. It’s just so completely bizarre. Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Canada have a parliamentary system? That works a bit differently. In the U.S., there is no proportional representation, so a candidate’s party matters a bit less than his/her personality (At least, that’s how it USED to be). Party affiliation only means you can vote in that party’s primary election to select its candidates. The MAIN elections to select who will take office are conducted confidentially, and people can (and do) vote for whomever they want, even someone from the opposite party. So giving one’s party affiliation says nothing about who one might actually vote for. I think this has changed a bit in recent years, as national politics have become a lot more polarized. Candidates now are a lot less willing and able to say anything contrary to what their party supports. It seems like that’s a bigger problem for Republicans though. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/11 "2018-05-01T08:26:54Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Or in 2003 when I (to my shame) supported the invasion of Iraq In 2003, I supported the invasion of Iraq. The President of the United States said we needed to pre-emptively attack because he had proof that Iraq was actively working on WMD programs and was on the verge of producing them. I believed he was telling the truth. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/12 "2018-05-01T08:49:04Z")
Declaring party affiliation (or not) is a part of voter registration - it doesn’t really have anything to do with the DMV save for them relaying that info to the appropriate state agency. It’s just a convenience to do that while you’re there anyway. As far as why the voting authority wants to know, many states restrict primary voting to members of that party. IE, you can only vote in the Republican primary if you’re a registered Republican. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/13 "2018-05-01T10:04:58Z")
> [@Lizard](#): > > Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Canada have a parliamentary system? That works a bit differently. In the U.S., there is no proportional representation, so a candidate’s party matters a bit less than his/her personality (At least, that’s how it USED to be). Party affiliation only means you can vote in that party’s primary election to select its candidates. The MAIN elections to select who will take office are conducted confidentially, and people can (and do) vote for whomever they want, even someone from the opposite party. So giving one’s party affiliation says nothing about who one might actually vote for. I think this has changed a bit in recent years, as national politics have become a lot more polarized. Candidates now are a lot less willing and able to say anything contrary to what their party supports. It seems like that’s a bigger problem for Republicans though. I think Leaffan’s surprise is due to the fact that parties are not really part of the government approved system in Canada. If I want to be a part of deciding who is the local Liberal candidate, I can choose to call them up or go online and join the local riding association (Federal and Provincial are separate) for $10 or so. I can then vote at the local level, but this is not organized by the state. In some circumstances, the leader can pick a candidate without a local vote but this is usually done when time is short before an election. Unless I have an election sign up or I choose to join a party, no one has any need to know which party I favour. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/14 "2018-05-01T10:40:39Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > … as a Canadian … How dare the driver’s license people ask me who I want to vote for? In most U.S. states, party registrations are _in the public record_. The DMV is simply providing a convenience: you can optionally register to vote or amend your registration _if you wish to_. Since you’re Canadian you’re forgiven 🙂 … but, with all the real corruption on display in the U.S., it’s often dismaying to hear what people actually complain about. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/15 "2018-05-01T10:55:22Z")
I think **Leaffan** ’s surprise is more about party affiliation being a matter of public registration than the fact it occurs at the DMV. In Canada, party affiliation (if any) is a personal, private matter. The government has no business knowing what a person’s party affiliation is. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/16 "2018-05-01T10:57:56Z")
Getting back to the OP, no, I’m not surprised, actually. Since this is MPSIMS and not GD, I’ll leave it at that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/17 "2018-05-01T11:28:06Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I think **Leaffan** ’s surprise is more about party affiliation being a matter of public registration than the fact it occurs at the DMV. > > In Canada, party affiliation (if any) is a personal, private matter. The government has no business knowing what a person’s party affiliation is. It’s public record since some states have closed primaries in which only members of the party can vote while other states have open primaries (members of any party can vote) and there are reasons for and against each system. Party affiliation doesn’t require you to vote any particular way, so despite’s Leaffan’s assertion, knowing my affiliation doesn’t mean the government knows who I vote for. Speaking as a poster, I’d love if we didn’t have to go ten rounds about how bizarre and unthinkable some aspect of American society is. We’ve done it so many times, and man it’s tedious. No criticism to Northern Piper at all, just a general observation. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/18 "2018-05-01T11:38:53Z")
Oh, I understand why it’s done in your system. It’s just that from our perspective, the government has no more right to know my party affiliation and keep a public record than, say, keeping a public record of what church, if any, I go to. Some things are none of the Government’s business. I’I sorry if you find it tedious if non-American posters post their opinions of the US system, but I think that’s inevitable on a board with posters from around the world. Please feel free to post as much as you like about the aspects of Canada’s political system that you may find odd or bizarre. I’ll try to respond. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/19 "2018-05-01T11:40:43Z")
> [@Lizard](#): > > For some reason the first thing that flashed through my head when I saw the thread title was something about having sex with a mime. That doesn’t seem like the kind of thing most people would talk about. > 😃 But did you do it in an invisible box on the street? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391/20 "2018-05-01T11:45:09Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > You declare your federal party affiliation as part of your driver’s licence application? We actually don’t have federal or national elections. What looks like a Presidential election is actually 51 simultaneous state-level elections for delegates to the Electoral College. All other offices and all referenda are state and local. Party membership has official status only in terms of choosing which primary elections to participate in. Even for Congress, party membership has no legal status, just a voluntary caucus membership. > [@Leaffan](#): > > How dare the driver’s license people ask me who I want to vote for? They aren’t. Declaring a party affiliation only lets you vote in that party’s primary elections, in which its candidates are chosen for the general election, the “real” one. Even that’s not required in states with open primaries, where a voter can pick either party (but only one) to vote in. The motor vehicle department handles it in some states purely as a convenience, since they manage a big database already. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-i-never-thought-i-d-do/813391.md?page=2)