The following is a joint message from the registrars in 11 Bay Area counties, including Marin County.
No Party Preference (NPP, or nonpartisan) voters are receiving the No Party Preference crossover notice and application in the mail. NPP voters are those registered without a qualified political party and will be allowed to vote on one of three party ballots: American Independent Party, Democratic Party, or Libertarian Party. The cross-over notice will list options to participate in the March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election.
The Bay Area Elections Coalition has members from 11 county elections departments.The Presidential Primary includes a partisan presidential contest, in which parties will vote to nominate their candidate to run in the November 2024 General Election. In addition to the partisan presidential contest, each ballot, regardless of voter’s party, will also include U.S. Senate, Congressional, state legislative, and local contests that are open to all voters.
The registrars of voters from the Bay Area Elections Coalition have issued a joint message December 13: “While it is important to take action to vote each election, it is particularly important during a Presidential Primary. All voters should take action and check their voter information (address and party) before the election. In addition, No Party Preference voters, or those who are registered without a qualified political party, will also have to act to either cross-over to a party ballot, re-register if the party does not allow cross-over voting, or decide to vote the nonpartisan ballot without a presidential contest.”
This will be the first election in California in which party or No Party Preference ballots will be sent to every registered voter. Voters are encouraged to check their voter registration status to ensure the party affiliation or nonpartisan status so that they will receive the correct party ballot when Vote by Mail ballots are sent out on February 5. Voters can do so by going to the California Secretary of State website and toggling to “check your registration status.”
No Party Preference voters have options to participate in the presidential primary:
- Option 1. Request a cross-over ballot for one of the following: American Independent Party, Democratic Party, or Libertarian Party. These parties allow NPP voters to cross-over without changing their party.
- Option 2. Re-register with a political party if you want to vote on the presidential contest for the Green Party, Peace and Freedom Party, or Republican Party. These parties do not accept cross-over voters.
- Option 3. Take no action. The ballot you receive will not include a presidential contest, but will include all other applicable contests.
For more information in Marin County, contact the Marin County Elections Department at (415) 473-6456.