I had to register for a party to try (and fail) to keep my state from passing a state amendment banning gay marriage because they wouldn’t let me vote in the primary unless I switched from unaffiliated.
(They did it in a primary because in my state Dems don’t even show up for elections where they’re not voting for the presidency and they wanted to make extra sure.)
If I was running for office in the U.S. (even in a different state with less evil), I’d have to run as a democrat if I wanted to be elected. I don’t know how things translate for the U.K. but in the U.S. if you want to get elected, you nearly have to join a party.
