Independent Voters Need to Be Aware of Their Right to Vote in California’s Democratic Presidential Primary

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

For the first time in my memory, there is the prospect that many voters unaffiliated with a party—“decline-to-state” or independent voters—will cast ballots in tomorrow’s Democratic primary.

While Republican Party rules do not allow voters registered "decline-to-state" to help select that party's candidate, a voter who has not declared a party may request a Democratic ballot when they arrive at their polling place and choose from among the Democratic Presidential candidates. A decline-to-state ballot only lets the voter vote on the Propositions, and not on the Presidential candidates.

Implementing that law may be a bit tricky and a number of elected officials and organizations want to make sure it goes off with as few hitches as possible. It is important to the California Democratic Party’s future because those in the growing portion of voters who are unaffiliated who chose to vote in the Democratic primary are more likely to vote Democratic in the general election.

There were two developments today underscoring that importance.

First, Senator Dean Florez called on Secretary of State Debra Bowen to take immediate action to ensure California's decline-to-state voters know they have the right to request a Democratic ballot at their polling place.

In his letter to Bowen, Florez urged her to launch a public information campaign through the media to make voters aware of their rights, to instruct poll workers to advise decline-to-state voters they may request a Democratic ballot, and to distribute signs to be posted in each polling place advising voters of that right.

"On the eve of the primary, I believe that there is still a great deal of confusion and uncertainty over this matter," Florez wrote, adding that reports that poll workers are specifically being instructed not to provide decline to state voters with a Democratic ballot unless the voter initiates such a request "violates the spirit of the law."

Florez’s letter is reproduced at the end of this article.