Independent: An independent voter, often called an unaffiliated voter in the United States, is a voter who does not align themselves with a politicalparty.

First off, I would like to say that this article isn't pointing fingers at anyone, it is merely an article based on facts and my experiences with my political affiliation.

Just because I do not follow one party from the "two-party" system does not mean I don't know politics. This does not mean that I don't understand politics and this sure as hell does not mean that I don't enjoy some things about politics.

I am an Independent. I am registered as not belonging to one particular party. This means that in my home state of New York, I cannot vote in a primary. Am I okay with that? No. Not at all actually. I believe that Independents should be able to vote in whichever primary they want to because that's literally what it means.

Many people believe that since I am an Independent that means that I should either not have any opinions on politics, or that my opinions are wrong. I may not choose to be a Democrat or Republican over the other and this is because I believe in sections of both. I believe in social freedom, I believe in women's rights but I also believe in military funding and gun rights.

Being an Independent is nothing to be ashamed of and I should not be made to be ashamed of it. I should not be told that my opinions don't matter or that no one cares about them because I am not affiliated with a certain party.

Coming from a very small town that tends to lean one way, it is hard for others to understand why I don't. They think that it may be because I go to a liberal arts school in central New York or because I got out of that town when I did. They don't realize that there are other people in the world who have other opinions. It is fine for them to have their own beliefs and I am in no way saying I am better than anyone for seeing things a different way. What I am doing, though, is pointing out the factors that play into the condescending tones I get when I say I can't and won't be voting in a primary.

With the primary election in New York being so prominent last Tuesday, it makes it harder to stick to my beliefs because everyone else judges them. A number of times I was told to vote and having to explain that I wasn't going to because I wasn't legally allowed to was obnoxious. I signed up to be an Independent knowing that I wouldn't be able to vote in the primary. I did not know that when I signed up I would be judged for it, though.

So next time, before you judge someone based on their political affiliation, maybe you should hear them out and try to understand where they are coming from. Just a thought.