California GOP may restrict primary to party members (just say NO to decline-to-state voters)

State GOP may restrict primary to party members

Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Saturday, August 22, 2009

California Republican Party leaders, in a move that could reshape state primary-election politics, are preparing a move to bar decline-to-state voters - now 20 percent of the electorate - from casting a GOP ballot in statewide and legislative primaries.

The proposed bylaw to the state Republican platform, which delegates will decide at the party convention next month in Indian Wells (Riverside County), has riled some business leaders and Republicans.

They say it could be disastrous for the party's future and could relegate Republicans in the state to "permanent minority" status by keeping independent voters from supporting Republicans in primary elections.

Flashreport.org publisher Jon Fleischman, the Southern California state party vice chair, said his proposal, which would take effect in 2010, would strengthen the GOP. It calls for extending a ban on independent voters in presidential primaries to all statewide elections, including the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races.

It "makes it clear that if you are a Republican, you're eligible to vote in the primary," he said. "We think we have great candidates - but it's not the role of someone who's not in the party to have a say in who that party puts forward."

snip...
"We think this is the worst thing (the party) could ever do," said Rob Lapsley, spokesman for the California Chamber of Commerce. "Republicans ... need every vote they can possibly get from independents."


more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/22/BAOD19C08G.DTL&tsp=1

Their voting numbers would shrink drastically, and it would push the independents to vote for the Democratic candidates.

Let the wingnuts field the candidates, then let them lose the general. Hell if I care.

That's how it's done now. And that's why they keep running such extreme candidates: any one who makes it through the primary process is bound to be on the batshit crazy end of the spectrum (Ahhnold got in because he bypassed the primaries due to the special election).

Most DTS voters in California are moderates who don't really prescribe to the policies of either party. It's also the fastest growing political designation in the state.

Blocking conservative leaning DTS voters from voting in the primaries keeps them out of the polls on election day. That gives the moderate and liberal DTS voters, and the Democratic voters, a numeric edge. It won't effect the primaries much, but it will have a HUGE impact on all of the OTHER propositions and measures that happen to be on the same ballot.

I have no problem with the Republican party telling conservative voters to stay home on election day.

I fully intend to change my registration to republican so that I can nominate Sarah for the presidency. I can't think of a surer way to re-elect Obama than to have that nut as his opponent.