In Vermont (and many other states) you don't register with a party. You simply register to vote.
THAT should be the law of the land imo.
There aren't much more meaningless labels than "what political party are you with". If you're not employed by one the answer is always "none".
I find it an infringement on my right to vote and a privacy violation. I'll go one step further, it's a form of election rigging asking people to select a party and give the impression that you will be left out of the process if you refuse. The more I think about this the more it bugs me.
I actually had to explain to a poster the other day --- a Canadian, or so he claims --- that no, registering as an affiliate of Party "X" does NOT mean you have to vote for Party "X". I pointed out that if that were the case there would be no point in voting at all, your registration would be your vote.
Now there are some states (not mine) where you have to be registered with a party in order to vote in that party's primary. But you can do that on the spur of the moment. In my state we can vote in either one, so it's just an extra unnecessary step.