Why doesn't the MN state voter registration form let you choose a political party?

Question

I just downloaded the form to register to vote in Minnesota and I'm puzzled that it doesn't let you register as a Democrat or Republican. There aren't any options for party affiliations. Why?

When I lived in CA and MA, there was always an option for party affiliation.

This is the form I'm referring to:

http://www.sos.state.mn.us/home/index.asp?page=204

Answer 1

My guess is the Secretary of State wants to keep Mn. state government documents neutral and to protect your privacy.  Call Tim and ask him, I'm sure he knows. :)

Answer 2

Minnesota, like some other states, doesn't require that you declare a political affiliation when you register to vote. On Election Day, you can vote for whatever candidate you choose to, and voting for a member of a certain political party in one election does not mean that you have to keep voting that way in the future.

You've only got 8 days to get your registration form in if you want to vote in the primary, so register now at http://electionimpact3.votenet.com/decla... !

Answer 3

Not sure, but I'm seeing some webpages that indicate you can select your party affiliation at the polls when you vote. I won't leave URL's since none of them seemed to be from particularly authoritative sources, but I searched on "minnesota select party affiliation" and found some stuff.