The California Republican state convention concluded on September 9. The convention made no changes to the party bylaw that excludes independent voters from voting in the party’s presidential primary. Independents can vote in the California Republican Party primary in June 2008, for partisan offices other than president.

The California Republican Party is the only state party in the nation that willingly lets independent voters vote in its primary for Congress and state office, but not vote in its presidential primary. Also, in Arizona, by state law, independents may vote in any party’s primary for Congress and state office, but this Arizona law does not apply to the presidential primary.

On September 7, a U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City upheld Oklahoma’s law, banning out-of-state petition circulators. Yes on Term Limits v Savage, no. 5:07-cv-680. Here is the decision.

The judge, Tim Leonard, seemed to feel that elections officials can’t check the validity of petitions, unless it can interview the circulators. It isn’t clear why a state can’t check signatures on petitions by comparing a signature on the petition, with the same voter’s signature on a voter registration form.

Judge Leonard’s rationale is that out-of-state circulators will leave the state as soon as they are done working on the petition, and if the state needs to interview them about their work, the state won’t be able to find them.

The California Republican Party’s current policy is that independent voters may vote in the June 2008 primary (the primary for all partisan office except president), but not in the February 2008 presidential primary. On September 7, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger asked the delegates to the party’s state convention to change its rules and let independents vote in its presidential primary. See here for the full story.