Don’t Be AIPrl_Fooled is a grassroots campaign to bring awareness to the fact that hundreds of thousands of Californians are accidentally registering as members of the American Independent Party (AIP), based on their assumption that checking the AIP designation means that they are now registered as “independent” of any party. The AIP is actually a strongly ideological party created in 1967 with a segregationist platform to help nominate George Wallace for President.

 

The Don’t Be AIPrl_Fooled Campaign is being spearheaded by Mark Vargas, a Los Angeles based small business owner, an advisor for the Burbank YMCA’s Youth & Government program, and a former member of the Little Hoover Commission.

 

• Not sure if you are an AIP?  Look at the following list of county registrars to find out your party registration.
  
  
• Not registered or want to re-register?  The new online voter registration system is here!
  
  
• View the full Press Release here.

 

Noteworthy people who have mistakenly registered AIP include the wife of Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom. The then-Mayor’s office responded to her registration in 2008 by saying:

“Siebel is actually an independent voter - "decline to state," in registration lingo - and checked the American Independent box thinking that was what independent voters were supposed to do.”

San Francisco Chronicle, April 23, 2008 [ link ]

 

That same year, African American former Los Angeles Police Chief and current City Council Member Bernard Parks, with a similar response:

 

“Parks said he had been trying simply to register as an independent.”

Los Angeles Times, September 29, 2008 [ link ]

More recently, in 2012 Supervisor Dave Roberts was attacked for being affiliated with George Wallace’s political party:

 

“He thought he was registering as an independent.”

San Diego Union Tribune, Oct 23, 2012 [ link ]