The Decline to State voter, California’s version of independents, is in the unique position to 
influence partisan Primary Elections. In Primary Elections (other than in Republican Presidential Primaries) Decline to State (DTS) voters have the option of choosing a Republican or Democratic Party ballot.
Earlier this year in January our Capitol Weekly/Probolsky Research California poll found that 15% of DTS voters would choose a Republican ballot and 38% would choose a Democratic ballot. January 2009 was probably the low point for the GOP and the height of the Democratic/Obama frenzy. Flash forward to the brink of summer with continued economic woes and enough time for one-party rule to scare some of these unaffiliated voters and the numbers have shifted somewhat, now 19% want to vote in the Republican Primary and 33% in the Democratic Primary.
Conventional wisdom has been that more moderate candidates, especially on the Republican side have a greater chance of attracting DTS voters to weigh-in for them. However this may not be the case.
**There is more – click the link**
June 9th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Adam, your article fails to mention a critical point: Under California law, the California Republican Party can decide to exclude Decline-to-State voters from future Republican Primary elections. We did that with the presidential primary and the result was an upsurge in Republican registration. Now we need to do the same with the other primaries. There is no reason for Republicans to continue to allow non-Republicans to pick our candidates.
A decade ago, when the California Republican Party amended its Bylaws to allow Decline-to-State voters to participate in our primaries, we were told by the self-proclaimed experts that it would help our Party. Instead, it has destroyed our Party. We have lost voters, we have lost candidates and offices at every level, and our prospects continue to decline.
Ordinary people have discovered that there is absolutely no reason to register with the Republican Party, since they can vote in both major party primaries (Democrat and Republican) as long as they remain registered Decline-to-State.
To reverse that trend, we need to return to the traditional Party primary: Republicans pick their own nominees and Democrats do the same. We need to bring back the Republican primary election!
June 10th, 2009 at 12:00 am
The GOP registration “surged” from 33.55% in Dec. 07 to 33.28% in January of 08 (just before the primary). It has now surged further to 31.05%–a historic low.
We stopped being fiscal conservatives and it will take a great deal of work to rebuild our credibility.