As I’ve been going through the voter registration logs, I’ve noticed a couple of things. First, my ancestors belong to alot of different political parties. I’ve noted Democratic, Republican, Socialist, Progressive, Libertarian, Independent, and the non party “Declined to State”.
Remember all those black and white movies depicted women as too silly and naive to vote their conscience? Contrary to stereotype women did not automatically select the party that their husband’s were affiliated with. I am happy to say my Grandma was independent throughout the 1920s and was listed as a different party than her husbands. It wasn’t until the 1930s that her husband changed parties to match hers. I also found that her widowed mother was an Independent throughout the 1920s and 1930s. She was even a different party than her daughter.
It’s interesting to watch how the changing times affect political affiliation. I noted many Republicans among my Portuguese and French relatives living in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1920s. From the mid 1930s through the 1940s (I’ve only been able to see records through 1945-1948), my relatives were almost 100% members of the Democractic Party. It’s very clear that Franklin Roosevelt made an impact on the average American during the Depression. The shift to the Democractic party is very noticeable across the Bay Area and most likely across the United States.
I wonder what else I will learn as more years are added? This doesn’t add any new branches to my tree, but it sure makes the foliage alot fuller.
