I wrote about this issue before, and it happened as I expected.
In February, California Mailed 3.7 Million Primary Ballots that, to the Astonishment of many who received them, Excluded the Presidential Candidates. These Ballots do have Candidates for All other Primary Races, including for Congress, but Not the Race for President.
Particularly at Risk of Losing their Vote are 18 to 24 year-old and Latinx Voters, Groups that Strongly Favor “Tio Bernie”. A Quarter of Independent Voters, more than 1 Million People, are Latinx, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
While Californians, including Independent Voters, vote overwhelmingly for Democrats in General Elections, 5.3 Million Voters Register “NPP” or No Party Preference. These voters Legally have the Right to Vote in the Democratic Primary, but the Democratic Party has Created an Inscrutable Obstacle Course for them to do so, one that amounts to another type of Voter Suppression.
Last Autumn, All 5 Million NPP Voters were Mailed a Postcard Allowing them to Request a Ballot with the Democratic Party Presidential Choices. However, as many States have learned, Postcards with Voter Information largely look like Junk Mail and get Thrown Out. If the NPP Voter don’t Respond to the Postcards, they get a Ballot without Presidential Choices. But they have One more Chance to Vote for a Presidential Candidate in the Primaries, at the Polling Station.
But according to Rules Set by the National Democratic Party, the NPP Voters have to bring in their NPP Ballot to the Polling Station and Request to Exchange it for a “Crossover Democratic” Ballot that includes the Presidential Candidates. However, if the Voter doesn't have the Mailed Ballot or Fails to Ask for the “Crossover” Ballot by its Specific Name, the Poll Worker is Barred from Suggesting it and they Won’t Receive it.
Jen Abreu, a Poll Worker explains the Disaster this created in 2016: “If this NPP voter did not specifically ask for a Democratic Crossover Ballot, they were given an Official NPP ballot, which did not list presidential candidates.” There’s another, New way NPP Voters may Obtain a Presidential Ballot: Re-Register from NPP to Democrat Right at the Polling Station on Election Day and thereby get a Presidential ballot. However, this Same Day Registration Option is little known, Not Advertised by the State, and there are NO Signs mentioned the New Option.
What’s the Impact of this labyrinthine Ballot Dance? A lot, according to the Statistician Paul Mitchell, Vice President of Political Data Inc, a Private Firm employed by both the Republican and Democratic Parties. Mitchell recently completed a Poll of 700 NPP Voters and Found that while 61% wanted to Vote in the Democratic Primary, nearly Half, 45% were Clueless about how to get a Democratic Ballot. Another Third of NPP Voters believed that they could Not Exchange their No-Presidential Candidate Ballots, though the Law says they may.
in 2020, Hundreds of Thousands of these Voters have already Mailed Back the NPP Ballot without Presidential Candidates because, according to Mitchell’s Polling, they assumed they had No Ability to Exchange it.
This past week, Mitchell’s Pollsters also asked 300 NPP Voters whom they’d Vote for if they had Obtained the Correct Ballot. About 26% preferred Sanders, which translates to 553,000 Potential Lost Votes, by Mitchell’s estimates. Mike Bloomberg, meanwhile, could have 383,000 more Votes.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chiefs, who Created and Uphold the Rules, show little Sympathy for the Millions of Non-Democrats who want to Exercise their Right to Vote in their Primary but Refuse to Register as Democrats.
By contrast, in Colorado, another Vote-by-Mail State, the Secretary of State simply Ignores the DNC, Sending Every Independent Voter both a Republican and a Democratic Party Primary Ballot, providing an easy way to Vote as they Choose.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
