Opinion | California’s primary locks out voters

For the first time in my life, I participated in a government election. I voted. What began as holding my dad’s hand as he cast his vote had transformed into me signing my primary ballot before placing it in the mail. My dream of wearing my rightfully earned “I voted” sticker had become a reality.

Receiving my ballot, I couldn’t be more excited. However, opening the sealed envelope, I had no presidential candidates on my ballot. Why? Because I am a No Party Preference (NPP) voter.

I have received mixed reactions for being a NPP voter, from being congratulated for “thinking for myself” to scolded for not knowing “enough” about politics to have a solid stance. I dare you to say “No Party Preference voter” in the mirror three times, you will be haunted by self-claimed, die hard political fanatics. California is one of two states to use a top-two primary format, which lists all candidates on the same ballot regardless of your party affiliation. This format only applies to state and legislative races, such as the United States Senate and House of Representatives, explaining why my ballot contained long lists of district representatives.

Currently, California’s presidential primary is a “modified closed system” and only allows voters to vote within their political party, which is why I didn’t receive a presidential ballot. Despite this, NPP voters can request a presidential ballot from the Democratic, American Independent or Libertarian party but not the Republican, Green or Peace and Freedom party.

This is flawed. For years I was exposed to the same political environment across my family dinner table and suddenly I was placed into a politically diverse college campus, a place that reaffirms my views, and even better, challenges them.

Still, I don’t feel comfortable solely supporting one political party and I wish I could. But this doesn’t mean I am not “informed enough” about political events or unwilling to participate in politics. I want to gather as many ideas as possible to fully comprehend each party’s standpoints before making a decision.

NPP voters have become the second largest voting block with approximately 28.3 percent of California voters registered as NPP in 2019. This number has increased by 8.3 percent since 2009. Yet, how is the second largest “political party” in California unable to cast their vote for presidential primaries?

The increasing number of NPP voters may be contributed to the political divisiveness of our country. Moderates struggle to identify with the extremist political parties and resort to supporting none. With the increasing divisiveness of the political climate we risk preventing millions of voters from exercising their right to vote and need to reconsider the structure of our primary process.