Los Angeles County Democratic Party Celebrates Victory as “Double Bubble” Decline-to-State Ballots with Identifiable Voter Intent in Los Angeles County Are Counted and Future Ballot Design Is Changed

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP) celebrates victory as the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk heeds to LACDP’s demand to count every Decline-to-State ballot in which voter intent can be identified for the February 5, 2008 California Presidential Primary Election and to redesign Decline-to-State ballots to prevent voter confusion and disenfranchisement. Beginning with the June 3, 2008 California Direct Primary Election, the ballot will no longer feature the “double bubble” design.

LACDP Chair Eric C. Bauman remarked, “A citizen’s right to vote is the foundation of democracy and the cornerstone of democracy depends on the integrity of the voting process. We are glad that the County Registrar-Recorder has heeded to our demands to count these nearly 50,000 Decline-to-State ballots and to redesign future ballots to make sure that no voter is disenfranchised. We will continue to fight to make sure that every vote is counted as cast and that no voter is subjected to additional burdens while voting.”

On the Decline-to-State ballot, ballot positions 8 through 15 were used for Democratic Party presidential candidates and positions 8 through 10 were used for American Independent Party presidential candidates.
Acting Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan indicated that every Decline-to-State ballot in which voter intent can be reasonably and defensibly determined will be counted using the following criteria:

Votes cast in ballot positions 11 through 15 can be determined to be votes for Democratic Party presidential candidates because these positions only correspond to Democratic Party presidential candidate choices.

For any precinct in which voter clearly indicates that Decline-to-State voters exclusively requested to vote only Democratic or American Independent primary on the voter roster, the Decline-to-State ballots for the precinct will be counted for that party’s presidential candidates.

Decline-to-State ballot for Los Angeles County for future elections will be redesigned prior to the June 3, 2008 California Direct Primary Election.

###