Anyone registered to vote can choose a Republican or Democratic ballot. Many of the people on the Democratic ballot (in my area) are running unopposed, so it was a good opportunity to try to get the least crazy people on the November ballot. Also, the republican ballot has 13 propositions that are not on the Democratic one, so that’s your only chance to have a say in those (and IMO they are really really bad!)
Here’s something to consider if you’re thinking about selecting a different party ballot than you normally would:
If you select a party today, you are bound by state law to stay with that party for the entire rest of the election cycle.
This choice is also public info, and it will influence what kinds of mailers you will get.
Would you be able to elaborate on what it means to stay with that party for the rest of the cycle? How would that impact the presidential election? And when does the cycle end? Appreciate you bringing this up.
Only which primaries you can participate in. It doesn’t require you to vote in any particular way in the actual election. The public voter roll will show which primary you participated in, but your vote in the election is secret. So anyone who says they checked and confirmed their vote was counted wrong in the election is full of shit or confused by the public voter roll’s representation of party selection during primaries.
edit 1: I think Texas Standard did a nice job explaining it.
edit 2: The Texas Secretary of State office has a good FAQ, too. Some other interesting points in there that I didn’t know about. Specifically, that signing petitions for candidates also locks you into their party’s primaries (if applicable) for that year.
6. What if I signed a petition for a candidate for a place on the primary ballot?
If a voter signed a candidate’s petition for a place on the primary ballot, that voter is only able to vote in the primary, or participate in the convention, of that candidate’s party during the voting year in which the primary election is held. For example, if a voter signed a Democratic candidate’s petition, that voter is ineligible to vote in the Republican primary or participate in a minor party convention. (§172.026).
7. If I signed a petition for a candidate for nomination in the Libertarian Party or Green Party, can I still vote in a primary election?
No. If a voter signed a candidate’s petition for nomination for the Libertarian Party or Green Party, that voter is ineligible to vote in a primary election or participate in the convention of a different party during the voting year in which the primary election is held. (§§172.026, 141.041).
Only for primaries I believe. There’s nothing stopping you from voting for the Republican primary then voting for Biden in November, or vice-versa.
This is true. I’ve done this countless times in Texas because I’ll vote for whatever democrat in the general election, but I want to do what I can to influence the republican primaries. Ironically I get so many mailers and calls from republican aligned groups that are scratching their head when I mention I’m gonna vote democrat in the generals.
