Skip to footer

How thousands of voters in California registered for the wrong political party

Many residents who consider themselves 'independent' voters, not affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties, accidentally registered with the 'American Independent Party.' 

|
Mike Segar/Reuters
Part of an early 20th century voting booth used in New York is seen on display at an exhibit of historical voting items and political memorabilia at the Schenectady County Historical Society in Schenectady, N.Y.

Thousands of California voters registered under the American Independent Party had no idea they were members of a far right group founded by a segregationist, which opposes same-sex marriage and supports a US border wall, according to a Los Angeles Times investigation.  

A telephone survey of 500 residents in California discovered that almost 75 percent of the people registered under the party mistook the ultraconservative party for the "no party preference" option, for those who are not affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic parties. Many residents told the LA Times that they were confused by the name "Independent."

"Years ago, thinking I was registering as an independent voter, I unintentionally registered with the American Independent Party, an abhorrent group that does not align with my values in any way," Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who is married to Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, told The Times. "I encourage voters to check their own records before the upcoming presidential primary."

With the upcoming primary elections set to take place in June 7, residents have until May 23 to re-register with a different political party. If they do not, they will not be allowed to vote in the primaries: the Republican contest is closed, for registered members only, while the Democratic primary is open to registered members and actual independent voters with "no party preference." 

Several celebrities including Demi Moore, Sugar Ray Leonard, Emma Stone, and Kaley Cuoco are among those who told the Times that they were misled by the name "Independent."

"The views of this party do not accurately reflect my personal beliefs and I am not affiliated with any political party," Ms. Cuoco, best known as Penny in the CBS comedy series "The Big Bang Theory," told the Times. "As such, I am taking the necessary steps to immediately remove my name as a member of this voting party."

The American Independent Party (AIP) was formed in 1967 by Gov. George C. Wallace of Alabama, who ran as the brand-new party's presidential nominee on a segregationist platform the next year. Today, the party exists only in California, with nearly half a million registered members.

"Right now, it's misleading," said Gail Pellerin, Santa Cruz County's registrar of voters. "I had a voter totally break down and cry in my lobby," she added, recalling a woman who couldn't vote in the 2008 Democratic primary because she was registered under the AIP.

"I'm sorry that people get confused," party chairman Mark Seidenberg told the Times. "A lot of people just don't understand what they're doing when they fill out a form."

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to How thousands of voters in California registered for the wrong political party
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2016/0418/How-thousands-of-voters-in-California-registered-for-the-wrong-political-party
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe