[EL] Cal. Secty of State issues new Report of Registration but omits data that had always before been included

[Richard Winger]

Minor parties get on the ballot if they have approximately 60,000 registered members.  Ever since 1973, the California law says a group that wants to be on the ballot may inform the Secretary of State that it intends to qualify, and asks that a tally be kept of how many registered voters it has.  Such a group is a "political body" until or unless it qualifies as a party.

The Reform Party is showing new life these days, because its leaders are working with anti-Trump Republicans who want a third ticket.  The last time the Reform Party got a California registration tally was in January 2014, when it had 16,377 registered members.  It didn't renew its request for a tally until February 2016.  After it re-filed as a political body, the Secretary of Stte acknowledged that the Reform Party is a "political body" on the Secretary of State's web page.
But yesterday, May 12, the Cal. Secty of State issued a new "Report of Registration" (a book required by state law to be published 5 times in election years, and once in odd years).  The new book omits the Reform Party.  This greatly handicaps the Reform Party because it needs to know how many registered voters it has now.
I telephoned the Cal. Sec. of State's office yesterday and asked why the Reform Party was omitted.  I was told that if I wanted to know how many registered voters are in the Reform Party, I should contact every county and ask.  That is obviously burdensome.
California election law concerning the Report of Registration says the book is supposed to include the political bodies.  The new Report of Registration, ironically, does include registration data for some other political bodies, but not the Reform Party.  Ironically, the bodies included in the book are no longer political bodies, because they had filed to be recognized in time for the June 2016 primary, and they didn't qualify, so they are no longer political bodies unless they refile.
But the Reform Party had filed to be recognized in time for the presidential election in 2016 (the deadline for that is July).  It is absolutely wrong for the Cal. Sec. of State to have omitted the Reform Party (and also the Constitution Party) from his book.  I suspect Sec. of State Alex Padilla doesn't want to give any attention or publicity to the Reform Party, because it is the one political body that potentially could qualify, having a head start of probably at least 12,000 registrants now.  It may get financial backing for a registration drive to bring that up to 60,000. Richard Winger 415-922-9779 PO Box 470296, San Francisco Ca 94147
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