A New Jersey woman recently took to TikTok to share one of her most embarrassing revelations— that she’s a registered Republican voter.
TikTok user Kayla (@newjerseylover69) told her story while cutting some onions, garnering over 142,000 views as of publication.
Kayla begins her story by explaining her frustration with the growing number of conservative donor messages she received and how it led her to find out that she was a registered Republican.
“I really didn’t even know until last year because I always get mail from like Donald Trump and general Republicans in my area…I’m always like who the hell signs me up for this…it’s probably some sick joke because they know I would hate it,” Sarah said.
Then she called her voting center to find out why she kept receiving Republican donor messages. It turned out that the reason was she had registered as a Republican.
“This is where I become the dumbest b*tch in the state of New Jersey,” Sarah jokes. “I remember registering to vote when I was 18 in school and I remember putting down Republican.”
Sarah continued to explain how she mistook political party affiliation with wealth when she was a child, and registered as Republican because of her association with Republicans being rich.
“…I guess I never really noticed because I don’t really vote in the primaries…I’ve always voted for the Democratic Party and stuff but I’m apparently registered Republican,” she concluded.
Some users claimed that registering as a Republican is a smart move for liberals to make.
“Silky, from RuPaul drag race, was also a registered Republican, so they would get a prefilled ballot and choose the opposite candidates,” @alolapikachu570 said.
“If you’re in a solid red county/state, it might be better since you’ll have access to their primaries, giving you some say,” user Josh (@fishinjosh) agreed.
“I’m a [New York] Republican so I can vote in the primary!” user Molly (@imaddictedtofriedrice) added.
Others wondered why Kayla choose to share her story, with some poking fun at her knowledge about political parties.
“… 18 years old? Why post this? Bring back shame,” usere @katebushstanaccount asked.
“So you never learned the difference between Democrats and [Republicans] in 7 years?” user @altereghoe said.
@newjerseylover69 yeah ok i know i should have known the difference when i was 18 BUT I DIDNT #democratsoftiktok #voterregistration #registertovote #mittromney ♬ nicki for romney – user62887776838
The Daily Dot reached out to Kayla via TikTok comments for further information.
Registering for a political party doesn’t affect how someone can vote in the general elections. However, depending on the state, signing up for one party or another may restrict a primary voter to their registered party.
In a nutshell, a voter’s political affiliation only impacts which primary Election ballot they will receive.
Registering can also give access to primaries or caucuses. These elections are generally used to elect candidates for statewide, local office, and presidential elections
However, even these can be open to the public. There are three types of primary elections: open, semi-open, or closed. In an open primary, people can vote in the primary regardless of their affiliation. Some localities will also hold semi-open elections, with rules that vary from state to state. Only closed primaries are reserved for registered voters.
