Jul 23, 2008 9:57 pm US/Pacific
California Redesigning Voter Registration Card
SACRAMENTO (CBS13/AP) ―
California has redesigned its voter registration card, in part to avoid the kind of confusion that led to a likely undercounting of the state's independent voters.
Secretary of State Debra Bowen says some voters complained that they accidentally registered with the American Independent Party when they intended to register as nonpartisan. The American Independent Party was listed first on the old registration card.
The new card specifically asks voters if they want to register with a political party.
"It has been unusual, we've seen registration going up in the American Independent Party when registration is going down in every other political party," said Secretary of State spokesperson Kate Folmar.
Nearly 20 percent of California voters already decline to state a party affiliation.
The new card also uses simpler language, shorter sentences and larger print, Bowen said Wednesday. It uses about 730 words instead of the more than 1,200 words on the old card.
The new card is available in seven languages. It will be phased in as the old cards are used up.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
