Why California Voter Turn-Out is Down And Why I Was Not Allowed To Vote

Hi friends,

As I've posted a few times, I can not support Romney or Obama for POTUS however on Tuesday I made my way to polls here in California planning to vote for Rick Santorum as a protest vote. I would have mainly voted for other Republican candidates (with one Democrat exception). I was not allowed to vote however because the Republican Party apparently does not want the votes of Independent voters. In November I hope my fellow Independents will bear this in mind before voting (however they vote). Here's a letter I wrote to our Registrar of Voters. Just thought I'd share it with you:

Hi,
I read in the paper this morning that your office said California voter turn-out was low again. Of course it is low. Why should Californians vote since we have no say?

I did not vote Tuesday for what I think was the first time in 30 years. I went to the poll to vote but was turned away.

Like so many I have become disgusted with both major parties and so a couple of elections ago I re-registered as an independent ("decline to state" or whatever California calls it). When I got to the polling place I was told that in order to vote I would have to do so on a Democrat, American Independent or Peace and Freedom Party ballot. I am not comfortable with any of those three parties. I planed to vote on the Republican ballot as usual. This was not allowed however and there was no option for non-party affiliated voting. George Washington, who warned of the dangers of political parties, would be furious at this turn of events!

I was not so furious about losing my right to vote however, only displeased, because as all Californians my right to vote in the most important race on the ballot had already been stripped from us since yet again we got no say on the presidential nomination. How and why does California get stuck with accepting the candidates chosen by the other states? Why don't all primaries occur at the same time like the November elections? In November 2012 there is no point in my voting as I can not support either Obama or Romney. Four more years of a POTUS I as a citizen had no real vote on electing. As Californians we have no real choices in who leads the nation so why should any Californian vote under this rigged system?

Just my two cents