Post
by Miguelito » Sat May 27, 2017 12:54 pm
When you register to vote you need to select a party, which you can change at any point. The two major parties are Republican and Democratic, but there are also the Green Party, Libertarian party, and a few others. Registering for a specific party allows you to vote in the primaries for the party (although the specifics on this vary by state). Or, you can register as Independent.
Also, candadites can run without a party affiliation, as an Independent. There are a few Senators and Congressmen that actually do get elected this way, and then once in Congress they normally Caucus (vote) with a certian group. As an example, Bernie Sanders is an Independent Senator (that would Caucus with Democrats), and that's one of the reason mainstream Democrats didn't want him to get their nomination, and Angus King from Maine is an Independent.