HB 1159

Present law provides that a permanent voting registration record must contain certain information described by law before being signed by the registrant, and must be witnessed as indicated on the form. This bill requires the applicant's political party a f filiation to be added to the form. This bill provides that at the initial voting registration or during the registration period, each qualified voter may designate on the registration application an affiliation with a political party qualified to partic ipate in primary elections or may designate to be designated as " u naffiliated."" An "" u naffiliated voter"" means a voter who is not affiliated with a statewide political party or recognized minor political party and who has no political party preference. Th e county election commission must record the party affiliation or unaffiliated designation as part of the voter's permanent registration record. If a voter fails or refuses to make a designation, the county election commission must enter on the permanent registration records that the voter is unaffiliated. Present law provides that a registered voter is entitled to vote in a primary election for offices for which the voter is qualified to vote at the polling place where the voter is registered if at the time the voter seeks to vote, the voter declares allegiance to the political party in whose primary the voter seeks to vote and states that the voter intends to affiliate with that party. This bill provides, instead, that a registered voter is entitled to vote in such election if it is the first primary election the voter has voted in after the effective date of this bill, and, at the time the voter seeks to vote, the voter declares allegiance to the political party in whose primary the voter seeks to vote and states that the voter intends to affiliate with that party. The county election commission must record the voter's declaration or affirmation made at the time the voter seeks to vote as part of the voter's permanent registration record. Once recorde d, such declaration may be changed by the voter in accordance with present law."