Big Dog, I know you don't like off topic posts but this situation is critical for just the next couple of days and I sure hope you will let this stay up for a bit. Thanks so much!

(snipped from another post of mine) Hello folks, Here in California the presidential primary happens March 7th. Registration to be able to vote in this primary, ends at 5:00 pm on Monday, February 7th (or registration cards must be postmarked by then).

About 2 years ago we voted (Prop. 198) to make our presidential primary "open" - I naively thought that I could vote in the primary for the person, not the party - I decided to register "declined to state". I recently learned that though I CAN vote for whichever candidate I choose, regardless of party, my vote will not be considered by the party when they choose their nominee - their bylaws forbid it - so I am re-registering as Republican so I may help McCain win the nomination. Otherwise my primary vote for him would have been like pissing into the wind....

I am extremely concerned that Californian voters do not understand that if they vote in the upcoming presidential primary and ARE NOT registered by Mon., Feb. 7 in the party of the candidate they wish to help then THEIR VOTE WILL HAVE NO EFFECT ON THE OUTCOME.

Most voters in Calif. do not know this. Most think that we can vote for whomever in the primary and the party affiliation doesn't "matter" anymore. The problem is that we CAN vote but the respective parties' bylaws forbid out-of-party voters from influencing the nominations. The votes will be separated out so that the parties will only look at those made by registered members of their parties. The Secretary of State's Office is putting a notice out in voter pamphlets but by the time voters get those, it is too late to re-register if need be.

Please email me for more information and I will give contact info. for the Sect'y of State and others to confirm what I am saying.

Please help the voters of California avoid a terrible crisis.

Thank you, Kristi Cozad

-- Kristi (securxsys@cs.com), February 03, 2000

Answers

Kristi, you have my whole-hearted sympathy. (Go, McCain!)

There is a reason, though, why open primaries can be pernicious. There have been cases where it is suspected that voters of one party have crossed over to vote for a weak candidate of the opposing party. (Probably wouldn't happen in the election we are concerned with, with two hot races.)

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), February 04, 2000.