How do you declare your party affiliation?

In most states, declaration of political party affiliation occurs when a person initially registers to vote. The process of declaring a political party affiliation after the voter registration process varies between states but typically involves a filing a form requesting a party registration or a specific party's primary ballot.

In Ohio, the process of declaring a political party affiliation through the state board of elections is as simple as requesting the ballot for a specific party preceding a primary election. In New Jersey, a person wishing to declare or change his political party affiliation must file a specific form 55 days before a primary for the change to be registered in time for the election.