Paulse was a member of the Independent Democrats, a now-defunct political party which was led by her sister Patricia de Lille.
[1] After the 2009 general election, the party decided to send Paulse back to the Provincial Parliament over Brett Herron, who had been ranked higher on the candidate list and appeared on the IEC's list for the provincial parliament.
ID Secretary-General Haniff Hoosen defended the party's decision, saying that it was to ensure "representivity".
[2] In September 2010, Paulse was appointed to take up ID party leader and her sister's seat in the National Assembly after her sister was appointed a provincial cabinet minister by Western Cape Premier and Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille; this move happened after the ID and the DA had announced its merger earlier that year with the ID set to be dissolved at the 2014 general election.
[3] Paulse was not a parliamentary candidate for the DA at the 2014 general elections and left the National Assembly as a result.