California Voters Being Registered As Incorrect Party Could Disproportionately Affect Republicans
Democrats in the state of California caused a major issue for themselves when they passed a law that required Motor Vehicle Departments to register all drivers to vote.
That was made into more of a fiasco because California also has a law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.
Now the state is saying that at least 600 drivers have had their voter registration changed from Republican or Democrat to “no party preference.”
“At least 600 Californians, including lifelong Republicans and Democrats, have had their voter registration unexpectedly changed, and several county elections officials are pinning much of the blame on the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles,” The Sacramento Bee said.
Among those affected was the daughter of the state’s Republican leader Sen. Shannon Grove who said he asked his daughter about it.
“I was like, ‘Kristin did you register as no party preference?’” he said.
“She said, ‘No, I’m a Republican.’”
Grove’s daughter had recently visited the Department of Motor Vehicles to change her address. Shortly thereafter, Sacramento County sent her a postcard informing her she is now registered as a “No Party Preference” voter ahead of California’s March 3, 2020 presidential primary. Grove stumbled across the notice earlier this week at her daughter’s Sacramento home, and worries that hundreds more could soon experience a similar unwanted surprise.
Elections officials across the state are linking many of the reported complaints to the state’s new Motor Voter program, which launched ahead of the 2018 midterms to automatically register eligible voters when they visit the DMV.
The 2015 law was designed to help boost participation, but a rushed launch prompted 105,000 registration errors to occur following its roll-out.
Janna Haynes, public information officer for Sacramento County Voter Registration & Elections, said the department has received “close to 200 calls from people saying they don’t think they were registered NPP” after the county recently sent out postcards to about 200,000 other people earlier this month.
Haynes noted two-thirds of the 200 complaints the department received came from people who have recently done business with the DMV.
“There does seem to be a correlation,” Haynes said to The Bee of the recent propensity of people who have visited the DMV and those who had their voter registration changed.
“We have experienced this kind of issue in the past, but there does seem to be an increase,” she said.
“I had one voter come in who reported that the DMV staff was more helpful than they needed to be by interjecting and taking the mouse away from her at the computer terminal when she was trying to complete the voter registration piece,” Shasta County’ Clerk Cathy Darling Allen said.
“I wouldn’t discount the concerns about parties being stripped out at the DMV,” she said.
And in what should not be a surprise to anyone, the change could disproportionately affect Republicans as they have a closed primary.
Democrats and Libertarians allow those with no party preference to participate in their primaries.
As if the deck is not stacked enough against Republicans in California, now they have another thing to contend with.
That is why it is hilarious when Democrats complain about someone stealing elections. They have made an art of it.