Secretary of State Bowen: Decline-to-State Voter Rights

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Secretary of State Debra Bowen just put out this statement on decline-to-state voters:

"Under California law, each political party decides whether to allow DTS voters to participate in their presidential primaries," said Secretary Bowen, the state's top elections officer. "In this particular election, two of the six political parties are allowing DTS voters to request their parties' ballots: the Democratic and American Independent parties."

The Secretary of State's Voter Hotline has received several dozen calls from DTS voters around the state reporting some county poll workers have not been fully aware of DTS voter rights.

"If a DTS voter does not specifically ask for one party's ballot at the polls, he or she will be given a non-partisan ballot containing the seven statewide ballot measures, but no presidential candidate names," Secretary Bowen added. "Voters who have any questions about their rights should call our toll-free Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE."