We know that where they have the power, Republicans are targeting people likely to vote for Democrats. They’re stripping them from voter rolls, denying their registrations, imposing all kinds of ID requirements, restricting access to voting by limiting voting sites or moving them around, etc. etc.
So, friend of mine made a suggestion: register as a Republican — but vote Democratic.
Excuse me if this seems obvious, but why not? In places where party registration and vote suppression seem to somehow magically align, is it possible to go under the vote suppression radar?
Some advantages:
- 1) Where primaries are closed, you can vote for the GOP candidate least likely to appeal to voters in the general election. (You’ll have to trade that against not being able to vote for Democratic candidates in the primary.)
- 2) Anyone looking to knock people who might vote Democratic off voter rolls may skip past your name if they see the ‘right’ party affiliation.
- 3) If enough people in a district make it ‘red’, that district is less likely to be targeted for vote suppression efforts. Better hours, better parking, more voting machines...
- 4) It might just make it easier for a vote by mail to get ‘approved’ as legitimate, know what I mean? Wink Wink Nudge Nudge…
- 5) Think of the fun of telling a reporter doing exit polling interviews “Sure, I’m registered as a Republican, but I just couldn’t vote for any of those people. It’s terrible what’s happened to the party.”
- 6) Oh, and you’ll automatically have more credibility with the press, who will be eager to hear what a ‘red’ voter has to say so they can pontificate about it.
- 7) You can list one party for voter registration purposes — but that doesn’t stop you from working with the other.
I’m sure there are downsides to this, ethical issues, problems that come up, and other things. I’m floating this idea (which is not a new one) to see what experiences people have with it, problems that have come up, objections to the idea, and so on. If the deck is being stacked against you though, exploring options is a reasonable response.
The important thing — whatever you choose to do — is to vote and make sure your vote counts
Feel free to share experiences, critiques, and other thoughts in comments.
In the meantime, watch as a robot brings the funk.