Party Name
The long-dormant American Independent Party (AIP) has suddenly come to life. AIP voter registrations are increasing.
The reason is simple. People wrongly assume that Ross Perot would be the representative for this party. But Perot was running as an independent.
The American Independent Party is the old state’s rights, segregationist party founded by George Wallace in the 1960s and has been essentially inactive for over a decade. Those who registered AIP to help Perot would probably be appalled to find they have joined the party of segregationist Wallace and Lester Maddox.
To register “independent” in this state, one must check the “Decline to State” box on the voter registration card. This negative option was intentionally chosen by the politicians decades ago in an effort to encourage people to register either Republican or Democrat--they didn’t want a large “independent” registration count.
TED WARREN
El Cajon
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