If Cynthia Dill were setting out to deliberately insult and perhaps alienate Maine’s independent voters, she did a pretty good job (“If you’re not willing to participate in the nominating process, don’t complain about your options on Election Day,” Feb. 28).

Some of us are independents because we chose not to ally with any particular party and do not want to lie and be hypocritical by enrolling in one just for a primary. Certainly were I a party member, I would feel obligated to vote straight ticket from the select board to the president. I can’t do that. My ballot often looks like a snake walked down it.

The problem is not with unenrolled voters. It is with Maine’s system, which disenfranchises us. Ms. Dill notes in one line toward the very end of her piece that Maine does not have open primaries. Perhaps it should. But that wouldn’t be to the benefit of the party establishments.

I could have lied, gone down to the town clerk and enrolled as a party member so I could caucus. If I’d wanted to, I’d have needed to do some research to come up with the underpublicized date of Feb. 19, which was the deadline to change from unenrolled to being a party member. Then I would have had to go back and unenroll afterward.

Ironically, if I were not a registered voter, I could walk down to the caucus on caucus night and enroll, something that Ms. Dill did not note in her piece. Her column certainly did not motivate me to go down and register in a party. Insults rarely do.