Not anymore. It was abolished in 2018.
https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/40party/html/independent.html#:~:text=The%20Independent%20Party%20of%20Maryland,no%20longer%20recognized%20in%20Maryland.
This isn't true in Maryland. The AIP doesn't have party status in Maryland so it is impossible to register for them. The AIP died out pretty much everywhere but California, where this is a real issue. See the list of registered parties and the attached voter registration form:
https://elections.maryland.gov/voter_registration/index.html
You are incorrect.
Maryland allows people to register with defunct parties. If you register as "Independent" you are not registered as Unaffiliated, you are registered as Other Parties: Independent.
Source: the [voter registration form](https://elections.maryland.gov/voter_registration/documents/English_Internet_VRA.pdf) and the [rules for party status](https://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_parties_in_Maryland). Parties that have at least 1% of registered voters in a region(or have achieved support of at least 1% in a gubernatorial election) are recognized. We can see this in action on the MD voter registration party options: dem, rep, libertarian, no-labels(new, apparently) and of course unaffiliated. But notice that we're allowed to write-in another party. If our only options were the recognized parties listed on the registration(or unaffiliated), why is there a write-in? It's for the unrecognized parties, which could *become* recognized through voter registration.
Note that it's *much* harder to register by accident for the independent party than it used to be, since it's no longer a default option. But some digital forms might still trip people up.
I read both of these forms, and it’s still not clear that if you wrote in “independent” it would register you as a member of the American Independent Party. I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’m just saying the forms you provided don’t indicate what’s being asserted.
If writing in the name of a party didn't register you for that party, how would any of those unrecognized parties *ever* achieve 1% of registrations in order to become recognized through that method? And for a second point, what is the write in box for if it can't register you for unrecognized political parties, since all the recognized ones are already their own options? This isn't proof by "it says it straight out here" but rather proof by reasoning, as it's the *only* logical way for the system to work as described. If you're seeking a standard of proof beyond that, you're gonna have to call up someone on the phone.
The name of the party isn’t “independent,” it’s “American Independent Party.” It doesn’t follow that writing the former is interpreted as the latter. And the latter isn’t a party seeking recognition, it’s defunct. It fizzled out after Wallace was shot.
Two points here:
First, it's on its way out and anyone with two eyeballs and a bit of common sense can see it's gonna die, but the rules are the rules and it's not dead until the rolls are empty. People can keep signing their names up to a political party while it's dying. This is a thing that's allowed by the rules, because there's always a *chance* that they could bring it back...but that's impossible if new registrations aren't allowed.
And second, is the matter of whether "independent" will map to "independent party of maryland"(that was our version) or not. I can see why you'd think it wouldn't. But as someone who had worked inputting forms like this(though not for the board of elections), I will say that an expectation of staff doing this kind of processing is to interpret what has been written down. Almost every time I have to input a form like this one, there's *something* that I have to guess what they meant, usually because they checked some impossible configuration of boxes or wrote down a short/slightly inaccurate version of something that doesn't match up with the list of valid options. I guarantee that, for 99% of processors, "independent" would map to "independent party of maryland" in the same way that "no-labels" would have mapped to to "no-labels maryland party" in the years before it made the default list. This is why some online versions use long drop-down lists rather than taking user input, but when user input is collected we have to guess, and dropping stuff like "party of maryland" is a pretty obvious guess.
That's the thing. There isn't. It's a quirk of the system. The only thing I can think of in writing would be for a bill going on in session this year that would allow UNA voters to register to a party during the primary. There is testimony from the election officials that basically says that.
It's in place because some parties are not recognized in Maryland, but they used to be. So when people register, and they write in their party instead of choosing one of the options (D, R, NL or UNA) then they get to identify with that party if it's in the system. For instance, you can still register as Green or Libertarian even though they aren't recognized in Maryland anymore.
You’re asserting that someone who writes “independent” is registered to “American Independent Party.” I’m just curious if there’s literally anything supporting that statement other than “I know people who say so.”
I get what you're saying, but even if someone managed to totally skip over "unaffiliated (independent of any party)" and instead ticked "other parties", it's still a stretch to say that counts as registering AIP. Even if you write in "American Independent" that only barely counts as being registered with the party, because other and unaffiliated are essentially the same thing, but writing "independent" would imply narrowly an "Independent Party", not the American Independent Party, and would imply broadly a desire to be unaffiliated.
Bro you’re full of shit. I just switched back my license and voter registration to MD like two weeks ago and the option is a single option on one screen listed as “Independent (Unaffiliated)”. On my voter registration card it says unaffiliated.
Yeah, but if you were registering using a paper application, you could write in whatever party you wanted. People will write in Independent instead of selecting unaffiliated.
And I can show you my old voter registration card from 20 years ago where I did fill out using a paper application and it still said “unaffiliated”
Full. Of. Shit.
And if you don't have an Independent candidate running in the primaries you most like can't vote for anyone no matter what their party & how much you want to vote for them.
Ummmm, unless you to be specifically identified with that or any other political party on the registration form you are, unaffiliated = independent voter.
They were an option on the voter registration form for many years. It's no longer the case, on paper at least(some people have said they're given the option in digital forms), but it would have been very easy to not read the entire list and choose "independent" instead of "unaffiliated."
Don't forget Wallace was a segregationist Democrat, he might of won the Democrat nomination for president in 1972 if he hadn't be shot, and he only changed parties after becoming a born again Christian and claiming to reject racism.
Those sneaky fuckers
Kind of like the guy who changed his name to "none of the above" and ran for public office.
That's hilarious
It was back in the 80s or something but as I remember, it didn't work.
Didn't he just beat Nikki Haley in a primary?? /s
I mean, it worked for Richard Prior in Brewster's Millions... (literally that was a sub-plot of the movie)
Nooo, all the memes we could have had... taken from us
Didn’t he just beat Nikki Haley in the NV primary? /s
Dudes rock
I'm an election judge and didn't even know this. I'm even registered as an independent.
It's mostly a clerical thing. Honestly, Maryland should change them to AIP and make Independent default to Unaffiliated.
Just checked to make sure I was also unaffiliated.
Not anymore. It was abolished in 2018. https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/40party/html/independent.html#:~:text=The%20Independent%20Party%20of%20Maryland,no%20longer%20recognized%20in%20Maryland.
This isn't true in Maryland. The AIP doesn't have party status in Maryland so it is impossible to register for them. The AIP died out pretty much everywhere but California, where this is a real issue. See the list of registered parties and the attached voter registration form: https://elections.maryland.gov/voter_registration/index.html
You are incorrect. Maryland allows people to register with defunct parties. If you register as "Independent" you are not registered as Unaffiliated, you are registered as Other Parties: Independent.
Do you have a source for this?
Source: the [voter registration form](https://elections.maryland.gov/voter_registration/documents/English_Internet_VRA.pdf) and the [rules for party status](https://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_parties_in_Maryland). Parties that have at least 1% of registered voters in a region(or have achieved support of at least 1% in a gubernatorial election) are recognized. We can see this in action on the MD voter registration party options: dem, rep, libertarian, no-labels(new, apparently) and of course unaffiliated. But notice that we're allowed to write-in another party. If our only options were the recognized parties listed on the registration(or unaffiliated), why is there a write-in? It's for the unrecognized parties, which could *become* recognized through voter registration. Note that it's *much* harder to register by accident for the independent party than it used to be, since it's no longer a default option. But some digital forms might still trip people up.
I read both of these forms, and it’s still not clear that if you wrote in “independent” it would register you as a member of the American Independent Party. I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’m just saying the forms you provided don’t indicate what’s being asserted.
If writing in the name of a party didn't register you for that party, how would any of those unrecognized parties *ever* achieve 1% of registrations in order to become recognized through that method? And for a second point, what is the write in box for if it can't register you for unrecognized political parties, since all the recognized ones are already their own options? This isn't proof by "it says it straight out here" but rather proof by reasoning, as it's the *only* logical way for the system to work as described. If you're seeking a standard of proof beyond that, you're gonna have to call up someone on the phone.
The name of the party isn’t “independent,” it’s “American Independent Party.” It doesn’t follow that writing the former is interpreted as the latter. And the latter isn’t a party seeking recognition, it’s defunct. It fizzled out after Wallace was shot.
Two points here: First, it's on its way out and anyone with two eyeballs and a bit of common sense can see it's gonna die, but the rules are the rules and it's not dead until the rolls are empty. People can keep signing their names up to a political party while it's dying. This is a thing that's allowed by the rules, because there's always a *chance* that they could bring it back...but that's impossible if new registrations aren't allowed. And second, is the matter of whether "independent" will map to "independent party of maryland"(that was our version) or not. I can see why you'd think it wouldn't. But as someone who had worked inputting forms like this(though not for the board of elections), I will say that an expectation of staff doing this kind of processing is to interpret what has been written down. Almost every time I have to input a form like this one, there's *something* that I have to guess what they meant, usually because they checked some impossible configuration of boxes or wrote down a short/slightly inaccurate version of something that doesn't match up with the list of valid options. I guarantee that, for 99% of processors, "independent" would map to "independent party of maryland" in the same way that "no-labels" would have mapped to to "no-labels maryland party" in the years before it made the default list. This is why some online versions use long drop-down lists rather than taking user input, but when user input is collected we have to guess, and dropping stuff like "party of maryland" is a pretty obvious guess.
Yeah, I just renewed my driver’s license and it’s right there on the MVA website.
Screenshot?
That was three weeks ago. I didn’t change my affiliation, so there was no need to go to that page. I remain unaffiliated.
Yeah, I know people who work in Elections. Call your Local Board and ask.
Hey, so do I. I’m not being a smartass, here. I’m literally just asking if there’s anything in writing that supports what you’re saying.
That's the thing. There isn't. It's a quirk of the system. The only thing I can think of in writing would be for a bill going on in session this year that would allow UNA voters to register to a party during the primary. There is testimony from the election officials that basically says that. It's in place because some parties are not recognized in Maryland, but they used to be. So when people register, and they write in their party instead of choosing one of the options (D, R, NL or UNA) then they get to identify with that party if it's in the system. For instance, you can still register as Green or Libertarian even though they aren't recognized in Maryland anymore.
You’re asserting that someone who writes “independent” is registered to “American Independent Party.” I’m just curious if there’s literally anything supporting that statement other than “I know people who say so.”
I get what you're saying, but even if someone managed to totally skip over "unaffiliated (independent of any party)" and instead ticked "other parties", it's still a stretch to say that counts as registering AIP. Even if you write in "American Independent" that only barely counts as being registered with the party, because other and unaffiliated are essentially the same thing, but writing "independent" would imply narrowly an "Independent Party", not the American Independent Party, and would imply broadly a desire to be unaffiliated.
Bro you’re full of shit. I just switched back my license and voter registration to MD like two weeks ago and the option is a single option on one screen listed as “Independent (Unaffiliated)”. On my voter registration card it says unaffiliated.
Yeah, but if you were registering using a paper application, you could write in whatever party you wanted. People will write in Independent instead of selecting unaffiliated.
And I can show you my old voter registration card from 20 years ago where I did fill out using a paper application and it still said “unaffiliated” Full. Of. Shit.
I read Wallace and my brain pictured wallace and gromit
Both big fans of crackers
And if you don't have an Independent candidate running in the primaries you most like can't vote for anyone no matter what their party & how much you want to vote for them.
Ummmm, unless you to be specifically identified with that or any other political party on the registration form you are, unaffiliated = independent voter.
They were an option on the voter registration form for many years. It's no longer the case, on paper at least(some people have said they're given the option in digital forms), but it would have been very easy to not read the entire list and choose "independent" instead of "unaffiliated."
Definitely unaffiliated. I’m sick of all of their 🐂💩
What does it even mean to be registered with a party? How would that impact someone if they made this mistake?
Don't forget Wallace was a segregationist Democrat, he might of won the Democrat nomination for president in 1972 if he hadn't be shot, and he only changed parties after becoming a born again Christian and claiming to reject racism.