Debra Bowen, California Secretary of State
1500 11th Street
Sacramento, California 95814
(916) 653-6774 Legislative and Constituent Services
CC:
Elaine Ginnold, Marin County Registrar of Voters
Marin County Civic Center
Room 121
3501 Civic Center Drive
San Rafael CA 94903
(415) 499-6456
RE: Registration to vote in any particular political party
2-6-08
Dear Debra Bowen and Elaine Ginnold:
I am writing with a concern about the Marin County regulations requiring individuals to register as Democrat, Republican or Decline to State.
1) I believe it is imperative, not optional where democracy is concerned, for Any Individual at Any Time to be able to vote for the Candidate he or she chooses.
If somebody registers as Republican but decides at the last moment to vote Democrat, or vice versa, she or he cannot do so. If she or he writes in a Candidate of choice onto the ballot who belongs to another party, will that vote be counted since it appears on the wrong Party’s ballot?
This is just plain wrong.
2) To declare our voting intentions is to compromise our anonymity and secrecy in voting, as required by law.
3) According to investigative reporter Greg Palast, who broke the Florida voter roll purge story, and according to election reform authority Victoria Collier, it is historically Democratic votes which are stolen. It is not my intention to make a partisan statement here: Were it Democrats who stole votes on an historical basis, I would say the same about them. And the fact that Individuals of All Parties steal votes at times is uncontestable.
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