It’s a common misconception, but if you registered “Independent Party” you aren’t “independent” you are a member of your state’s Independent party, who has a platform and agenda you may or may not agree with. What you actually want is called an “unaffiliated” voter status. The good news is, all you have to do is…nothing!
LA Times had a good summary a few years back: https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-american-independent-party-california-registration-card-20180405-story.html
You don’t need to register with any party to show you don’t like R or D, do nothing or choose "unaffiliated if you want to be “little i independent”.
Examples:
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New York - http://ipny.org/platform.html
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Oregon - https://www.indparty.com/
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Illinois - https://www.iviipo.org/our-policies/economic-issues
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American Independent Party - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Independent_Party
#USA #politics----
Odd that you highlight Illinois when Illinois does not record party affiliation when registering to vote.
Picked some random states, they’re all different which is also part of the confusion when citizens move. They may not record it for the state but can those in the state still register or join a party on their own? Issue would still exist if so.
Issue would not exist if so. Non-affiliated voters who aren’t tricked into it aren’t seeking out party registration.
People also just get confused by terminology and the mechanics and do it on accident, though much less common if state isn’t including it on voter reg for sure.
The genesis of this post was a family member in a very blue state, who went to an ivy league school and is extremely progressive and was sick of blue/red and googled “independent party” in her state and when I sent her the party platform she was registered for she lost her mind.