Celebrities in California including Demi Moore mistakenly registered with an ultraconservative political party
According to a Los Angeles Times phone survey of 500 members of the party, nearly three out of four did not realize they had enrolled in a political party that opposes abortion rights and same-sex marriage, and is for a fence to be built along the US border.
The reason for all the confusion is the party's name, American Independent Party (AIP). If voters don't want to be affiliated with a party, they will often check off where it says "independent." But in California, you must check a box on a registration form that says "no party preference."
"Demi Moore is not, nor has ever been, a member of the American Independent Party," Moore's rep told the paper. "Any record that states otherwise is a mistake."
Moore has contributed money to and campaigned for President Barack Obama.
"The views of this party do not accurately reflect my personal beliefs and I am not affiliated with any political party," Cuoco, known for her role on "The Big Bang Theory," said in a statement to the Times. "As such, I am taking the necessary steps to immediately remove my name as a member of this voting party."
The highly conservative AIP dates back to 1967, when segregationist and former Democrat George Wallace launched his second run for the White House and created a new party in the process. The party now only exists in California.
Of people surveyed in the Times poll, fewer than 4 percent could correctly identify their own registration as a member of the American Independent Party. According to the Secretary of State's Office, the party has about 472,000 members, or 2.7 percent of the statewide total.
In one unsurprising finding, some voters who mistakenly registered with the party said they found the state's official registration materials confusing.