On September 10, the California Senate passed AB 681. It lets voters change their party at the polls on primary day, without having to fill out an entire new registration form. It also requires election officials to send two notices to independent voters several months before a presidential primary, letting voters know that they are registered independents, and warning them that certain parties may not necessarily let them vote in its presidential primary. The notice also includes a form that can be returned, letting the voter register differently.
The bill has an urgency clause. It must return to the Assembly for concurrence in Senate amendments.
This makes SB 696 superfluous.
Even if voters were confused, mislead, or deceived by Alex Padilla’s registration forms, they can change their registration to vote in a presidential primary of choice. I suspect the Green and P&F paries will take quite a hit.
AB 681 will also mail a postcard to all registered voters informing them of their current registration status and how to update it for changes in address, name, or party affiliation. A second postcard will be sent to voters not registered with a qualified party (NPP or other party).
SB 696’s job is to get the AIP out of the list of “recognized political parties”. It is a VERY mis-leading political party. As of date, it has been “re-referred” to the Senate Elections Committee. Someone is trying to KILL THIS BILL! 🙁
The sponsor of SB 696 is Tom Umberg. He is also chair of the Senate Elections Committee. He is likely only trying to cover up that the bill was entirely different when passed out of the senate the first time.
The voter’s pamphlet includes the platform of each political party. That of the American Independent party is no more misleading than the others.
You’re vastly overestimating the amount of attention most people pay to these matters. Many people never make the connection between what is in their voter pamphlet, which they may or may not ever look at, and what is on the registration form. The vast majority of those who are registered in the AIP, other than those still left over from when it originally organized its voter registration push in the 1960s, just checked the wrong box thinking they were registering with no party affiliation.
@EN,
What does that have to do with John McCready’s claim that the AIP is a very misleading party? The party publishes its platform in the voter’s guide.
No doubt there are many lazy or stupid Californian voters. But if they choose American Independent party on the form isn’t the cause that Alex Padilla has created a confusing, misleading, or deceptive form.