Readers React: Are you independent or Independent? The state should help voters figure this out

To the editor: I am glad to see George Skelton write about the problem of so many voters who think they’ve registered themselves as independent but have instead registered mistakenly with the American Independent Party. (“California’s voter registration form looks like it was written by a chimpanzee. Fix it,” April 21)

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla may be up to his eyeballs in work related to the state’s June 7 primary, but that is absolutely no excuse for not doing something about the thousands of Californians who will be disenfranchised by this mistake. I think the state should require the AIP to contact all of its California members with clear information about this problem or Padilla’s office should reach out to voters itself.

Unfortunately, Skelton failed to provide information in his article about whom to contact to verify one’s own voter registration status.

Mickey Fielding, Los Angeles

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To the editor: It’s understandable that many political independents have inadvertently registered with the AIP. But they are not stuck with their mistake; they about a month to re-register and change their party affiliation.

This situation has received a lot of attention in the media, and anybody affected by it who isn’t living in a cave somewhere should be aware of it. Should all the publicity escape the notice of these voters, they deserve a rude awakening on June 7.

It’s sad to think those voters who are so disconnected and are thus rudely awakened on June 7 will still be able to vote in November.

Stuart L. Olster, Laguna Hills

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