No Party Affiliation
Encyclopedia
No Party Affiliation or NPA is a term used to apply to those voters or politicians who do not hold an affiliation with any particular political party
. Another term which is often used in place of "NPA" is "Independent"
.
In the U.S. state of Michigan
for example, the term "Independent"
is not used by the Secretary of State of Michigan because it could be interpreted as a party affiliation. Likewise, when Ross Perot
's Reform Party
initially organized as the "Independence Party", the name was rejected because the Secretary of State decided that the name would be misleading to voters who may mistake it for the concept of "No Party Affiliation". This was one of the reasons that the name of the party changed to the "Reform Party". In California
the label "Independent" applies to the American Independent Party, founded by George Wallace
, and currently affiliated with the U.S. Constitution Party.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
. Another term which is often used in place of "NPA" is "Independent"
Independent (voter)
An independent voter, those who register as an unaffiliated voter in the United States, is a voter of a democratic country who does not align him- or herself with a political party...
.
In the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
for example, the term "Independent"
Independent (voter)
An independent voter, those who register as an unaffiliated voter in the United States, is a voter of a democratic country who does not align him- or herself with a political party...
is not used by the Secretary of State of Michigan because it could be interpreted as a party affiliation. Likewise, when Ross Perot
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988...
's Reform Party
Reform Party of the United States of America
The Reform Party of the United States of America is a political party in the United States, founded in 1995 by Ross Perot...
initially organized as the "Independence Party", the name was rejected because the Secretary of State decided that the name would be misleading to voters who may mistake it for the concept of "No Party Affiliation". This was one of the reasons that the name of the party changed to the "Reform Party". In California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
the label "Independent" applies to the American Independent Party, founded by George Wallace
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...
, and currently affiliated with the U.S. Constitution Party.