I have been a registered voter ever since I turned 18 -- just a couple of months after Reagan's first inauguration. I'm pretty sure that at the time I registered as a Democrat. I've moved around quite a bit since then, including three changes of state. Each time, one of the first things I do, along with getting a new driver's license and library card, is register to vote. I almost always register as a Democrat, but in my last move (to NC) when I registered to vote, I registered as unaffiliated. I don't really remember why. Maybe it's the fact that I don't like labels, or maybe I just didn't think it mattered. After all, NC has open primaries, so I can still vote in the Democratic one. And even though I can't imagine actually voting in a Republican primary, I kind of like the idea that I could choose to do so. Lately I've been wondering if it makes a difference or not whether I keep my registration as unaffiliated or change it to Democrat.
I guess the strongest argument for changing to Democrat is that I really do identify myself that way. I don't think I've ever voted for a person who identified her/himself as a Republican, I've only ever donated money to Democrats, and I agree with Democratic ideas on issues. My arguments for remaining unaffiliated are probably the same as when I registered that way in the first place -- a dislike of labels and the freedom to choose which primary to vote in (even if I always make the same choice). Add to that the fact that I am still really pissed off at the Democratic establishment for abandoning Elaine Marshall, and it doesn't really make me want to join the party right now.
But my real question is the title of this diary. Does it matter? For those of you who know a lot more than I do about party politics and polls and all the things where party affiliation comes in to play, can you give me any reasons why it would make a difference if I changed my registration?