California Democratic Primary -- Bring Your Own Ballot

by Bob Brigham [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

The biggest story of the day is the meltdown with DTS voters in LA. It is so bad that the Obama campaign had to drop an "URGENT" email with phone numbers for their Election Protection lawyers (while Hillary's campaign is issuing statements that there is nothing to be seen, move along...these are not the droids your looking for). But that isn't the only place, the huge DTS surge for Democrats has hit Silicon Valley with another problem. From the Registrar (pdf, h/t to Silence in the comments):

Due to higher-than-expected turnout in today's Presidential Primary Election, the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters is implementing backup voting procedures to help mitigate potential ballot shortages. The shortage is largely attributed to an unanticipated surge in the number of Decline-to-State (nonpartisan) voters who are choosing to vote a Democratic Party ballot.

Can't quite see how this was "unanticipated" but it is clear that there are lots of people in full C.Y.A. mode today. How are they dealing with it? BYOB, of course!

Precincts that experience ballot shortages will be provided plain paper copies of the affected ballot types to ensure the continuation of voting. Voters can also choose to cast their ballot on electronic voting machines or use the ballot pages from their Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet.

[...]

The Registrar's Office is asking that voters who are registered with a political party, particularly Democratic voters, bring their Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlets with them to the polls in case backup voting procedures are necessary. The Registrar's Office is also asking nonpartisan Vote by Mail voters who want to crossover to a partisan ballot to bring their original ballot with them to the polls to avoid having to vote provisionally.

UPDATE: And don't forget about Contra Costa County:

In some precincts in Contra Costa County, independent voters showed up to the polls and poll workers told them erroneously that they could not get a nonpartisan ballot, a Democrat Party ballot or American Independent party ballot. The county sent workers out into the field trying to fix the situation, and called the precincts to explain that they needed to give those voters ballots.

Steve Weir, Contra Costa County registrar of voters, said he had heard of three or four reports of decline-to-state voters not getting the ballots they requested. He said he was at a loss to explain it because poll workers were trained in the legalities of who can get which type of ballot.

Weir encouraged voters who encounter this problem to request a provisional ballot.

On top of everything, the Registrar gives crap advice. Don't ask for a provisional, demand a Democratic ballot if you are DTS. Steve Weir should be immediately shitcanned if he doesn't resign in shame.