What does this really mean?
By "joining the IP," you are adding yourself to our internal membership roster, the list of folks we make a point of keeping informed about our work and relevant happenings in politics, and whom we call on for help when there are things they might be willing and able to do in order to improve the governance of our state.

So, will this make me a "registered Independent?"
Nope!   Actually, Minnesota does not register party affiliations.  There's no such thing as a "registered _____ party member" in Minnesota, though people will protest otherwise.  The state does keep track of which party you cast a ballot for in the last partisan primary you voted in, and that's their surrogate for determining party affiliation.  So when the Secretary of State tells you that there are so many Republicans, Democrats, Greens, Independents, and so on in Minnesota, it's those primary votes they are actually counting.  Conveniently for the folks in charge (in the larger parties), smaller parties have less contentious primaries, and thus lower turnout in their primaries: hence this method tends to undercount the number of folks actually allied with so-called "third" parties. Want to be counted as one of us in the eyes of the state?  Vote on the Independence Party line in the primaries, even if the major offices that interest you are uncontested!

Are you going to ask me for money?
Does a bear...oh, sorry.  Um, yes, we most likely will.  You can say no.  Don't worry, we are too broke to do it often, and we all hate doing it.  But it is a necessary evil in politics, at least in the current political climate.  You can help us avoid pestering you by listing us as your checkoff party on your taxes and by sending us a donation which is then rebated to you by the state through the PCR program.

Can I say "Uncle" and get back off your pesky lists?
That's covered by our privacy policy, but in a nutshell, yes - at any time!