Unenrolled voter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The phrase unenrolled voter is used in the United States of America to refer to a voter who has failed to declare their voting intention. In other parts of the world, an unenrolled voter is one who is not registered to vote.
Typically, unenrolled voters do cast a vote for a Democrat or a Republican candidate after weighing up the issues. Unenrolled voters are permitted to vote in any party's primary presidential elections.
In some states, such as Massachusetts, citizens can choose to refer to themselves as unenrolled voters. In some circles people refer to an unenrolled voter as being synonymous with an Independent (voter). However, this group should not be confused with preference towards the American Independent Party or other Independent Political Parties.
Unenrolled voters could be described as the "non party" of the country, since they do not susbscribe to any particular political polarizations. These unenrolled voters may be listed on an Unenrolled list in their state. There are political chapters of unenrolled voters in various states, such as Massachusetts.
Subscribers to this list tend to hold moderate views, and support voting for whichever party or philosophy they feel best represents them. Some consider this to be a form of empowerment, as it permits a more utilitarian viewpoint towards politics. One of the recent issues that unenrolled voters have gathered around is universal health care, as supported by Massachusetts Republican Governor Mitt Romney.
One of the most recent uses of the terminology of "unenrolled voters" appeared in the Boston Globe in March 27th, 2006. The article was associated with John McCain.
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[edit] Similar terminology
- In New Hampshire, the terms unenrolled or undeclared are used.
- In Rhode Island, the terms unenrolled or unaffiliated are used. [1]
Many states officially accommodate their Unenrolled Voters by having what is called an open caucus and then an open primary
[edit] Unenrolled voting in Maine
One operational definition considered for "unenrolled voter" is an individual who is registered to vote but has not enrolled in a political party. [2]
[edit] Presidential primaries
An unenrolled voter who votes in a presidential primary automatically becomes enrolled in the party for which their vote was cast, unless they take a simple step to elect to do otherwise. States make it easy for unenrolled Americans to switch parties after casting their vote in national elections by providing them with handy signature cards at polling stations. These cards have a box where you designate party affiliation can be declared as Democrat, Republican, Unenrolled or other.
[edit] State primaries
When voting in a state primary, unenrolled voters retain their unenrolled status after they have cast a vote. That is to say, the unenrolled voter does not become enrolled in a particular political party as a result of the party chosen during the ballot. An unenrolled voter does not need to fill out a party change form after voting.
