4 ms·

> you declare your … party allegiance to the government Do Americans realise how insane this sounds?

giantg2 4y ago
Why? The main reason this is done is to facilitate closed primary voting so the members of other parties can't interfere with the primary voting. Once you get to the main election, party doesn't matter. Perhaps the word allegiance is too strong. People do switch parties (including candidates), some "neutral" candidates like judges can cross register as both parties, and voters in the main election can vote for anyone.
- chrisseaton 4y ago
  > Why? Seems contrary to secret voting? If someone in the government wanted to round up many supporters of party X they have a database. > this is done is to facilitate closed primary voting Why is the government facilitating how political parties pick who represents them? Isn’t that a private matter? How do you think this works in other countries? Parties have their own, private, lists, not shared with other parties or the government, so that you can support a party in private.
  - giantg2 4y ago
    "Seems contrary to secret voting? If someone in the government wanted to round up many supporters of party X they have a database." Just because you register one way doesn't mean you always vote on party lines. There might not be as much concern with being rounded up with an armed population. "Why is the government facilitating how political parties pick who represents them? Isn’t that a private matter?" I'd imagine because you needed voting locations prior to the technology today. It was convenient to use the same infrastructure as for the regular vote. "How do you think this works in other countries? Parties have their own, private, lists, not shared with other parties or the government, so that you can support a party in private." How do the choose the party representatives? Or does that fall to the aristocrats of the party?
    - chrisseaton 4y ago
      > How do the choose the party representatives? Entirely up to them - postal voting in practice. The government keeps out of it.
      - giantg2 4y ago
        Interesting that they trust voting by mail even in places that don't trust it in general for the actual election.
        chrisseaton 4y ago
        Most places do trust it for the actual election - the US is also an outlier in not always allowing it.

Why? The main reason this is done is to facilitate closed primary voting so the members of other parties can't interfere with the primary voting. Once you get to the main election, party doesn't matter. Perhaps the word allegiance is too strong. People do switch parties (including candidates), some "neutral" candidates like judges can cross register as both parties, and voters in the main election can vote for anyone.

chrisseaton 4y ago
> Why? Seems contrary to secret voting? If someone in the government wanted to round up many supporters of party X they have a database. > this is done is to facilitate closed primary voting Why is the government facilitating how political parties pick who represents them? Isn’t that a private matter? How do you think this works in other countries? Parties have their own, private, lists, not shared with other parties or the government, so that you can support a party in private.
- giantg2 4y ago
  "Seems contrary to secret voting? If someone in the government wanted to round up many supporters of party X they have a database." Just because you register one way doesn't mean you always vote on party lines. There might not be as much concern with being rounded up with an armed population. "Why is the government facilitating how political parties pick who represents them? Isn’t that a private matter?" I'd imagine because you needed voting locations prior to the technology today. It was convenient to use the same infrastructure as for the regular vote. "How do you think this works in other countries? Parties have their own, private, lists, not shared with other parties or the government, so that you can support a party in private." How do the choose the party representatives? Or does that fall to the aristocrats of the party?
  - chrisseaton 4y ago
    > How do the choose the party representatives? Entirely up to them - postal voting in practice. The government keeps out of it.
    - giantg2 4y ago
      Interesting that they trust voting by mail even in places that don't trust it in general for the actual election.
      - chrisseaton 4y ago
        Most places do trust it for the actual election - the US is also an outlier in not always allowing it.