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You can vote in the primary: Here is how
Thursday, March 02, 2000
By David Tessitor
Across the country, this is the year of the independent voter. Once such voters were practically excluded from having influence in national politics, but that has now been changed by a combination of the candidates and the scheduling of primaries that in a number of states allow unaffiliated voters to participate.
Of these, the New Hampshire presidential primary was the first and most notable demonstration of the influence of the independents. There, Republican Sen. John McCain won by 19 percent over George W. Bush by attracting such a large number of independents that the political pundits were caught off guard. Former Sen. Bill Bradley was also helped by independents and made a respectable showing.
It's understandable. Independents tend to be attracted to both candidates by their independence, their strong positions on campaign financing and their commitments for real reform.
Had Bill Bradley managed to persuade merely a small fraction of McCain's independent voters to instead vote for him, the effect could have been dramatic. With New Hampshire's smaller Democratic Party, a shift of enough independent votes to give Bradley a victory over Vice President Al Gore would have still left McCain with a decisive 15-point victory over Bush, instead of his 18-percent margin.
The Michigan Republican primary again showed the power of the independents. On Super Tuesday next week, when 14 states will hold their primaries or caucuses, at least six will include primaries that are open in some form. All told, before Pennsylvania's primary in April, no fewer than 16 states will have had primaries that allowed unaffiliated voter participation.
Where does this leave Pennsylvania? That brings up a trick question: Can independent voters (in Pennsylvania this includes unaffiliated and those registered in "third parties") vote in the April 4th primary?
The answer: No/yes!
It is true that in Pennsylvania primary elections voters can't vote for nominees of a political party for which they aren't registered. But what most people don't know and what nobody seems to be telling anybody is that it is indeed possible for voters who are not Democrats or Republicans to vote in either primary. As an "independent" voter, I've been doing it for years; it is surprisingly simple and totally legal!
It works much like the open primary in New Hampshire. There, when independent voters go to the polls, they select a ballot for one of the political parties, and, in doing so, they actually change their registration to the party of their choice before going into the voting booth. Then, after they cast their ballot, they have two options: 1) they can remain in that party as a registered Democrat or Republican, or 2) they can go to a separate table on their way out and change their party back to Independent before they leave.
In Pennsylvania, we can do basically the same thing -- we simply have a 30-day window to work around.
First, you fill out a new registration form registering for the party of the primary in which you wish to vote. The form is available at post offices, libraries, state legislators' offices, the county election bureaus, and it can even be faxed to you by calling 412-343-6176 or printed from the Internet by going to www.pandapage.org. (Allegheny County also has a post card "change of party form" that can be used by its residents.)
Your completed form must either be delivered to your county election bureau on or before March 6 or it must be mailed and postmarked no later than midnight March 6. That takes care of your "temporary" registration and gets you into the primary.
Next, if you wish to retain your present party registration after the election, as most of us who are "independents" do, you need only fill out a second registration form, listing your regular party choice. I find it easiest to fill out both forms at the same time; however, you must make sure you set the second form aside and don't mail it yet (the refrigerator door is a good place).
Following the cutoff date, the second "switch back" registration can be sent in and isn't processed until the day after the primary, at which point you'll automatically be switched back to your present party status. I suggest mailing in the "switch back" form on the way to or from the polls on primary day; this avoids receiving a notice that says your form couldn't be processed, an unnecessary confusion for some who might wrongly think it means they can't vote.
So, now that you know you can change temporarily for the primary, which party do you pick? That depends upon which candidate you want to help the most. If you are a reform-minded independent voter, your choice is basically between Democrat Bradley and Republican McCain.
Personally, I chose to support Bill Bradley, based upon his positions of: health care for virtually every American; $175 billion for education over 10 years, targeting the neediest schools; common sense gun control that bans Saturday night specials and requires hand-gun registration; and abortion as a matter between a woman and her doctor (McCain wants Roe vs. Wade struck down). Of all the candidates, Bradley also has the highest lifetime rating on the environment from the League of Conservation Voters (84 percent vs. McCain's 19 percent.
Regardless of your choice, if instead of voting in the primary, you figure you'll just vote in November, the two best "independent" candidates may well be gone. If you are an unaffiliated or "third party" voter, your choice must be made by March 6. That leaves only four days in which to both decide and file the necessary change of registration form with your county.
David Tessitor is a nonpartisan political and community activist.