If California's independent voters want a voice in next year's presidential primary, they better start paying attention to Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and the rest of the Democratic candidates.

While the nearly 20 percent of California voters who register as decline to state will be welcome in the Democratic presidential primary, they will be barred from casting a ballot for any of the Republican presidential hopefuls.

"Since 1999, the state party rules have said that only Republicans can participate in its presidential primary,'' said Jon Fleischman, a state party official who also runs a popular GOP political Web site. "The purpose of a primary is for party members to come together and decide who should represent them. If you don't want to be involved as a party member, why should you vote?''

California Democrats have a different view of the proposed Feb. 5, 2008, presidential primary. Decline-to-state voters can simply request a Democratic ballot, either by mail or at the polls, and have their choice recorded alongside those of the party regulars...

Closed party primaries aren't fair to independent voters, who are forced to vote in November for candidates they weren't allowed to choose, said Steven Hill, director of the political reform program for the nonpartisan New America Foundation.

"All taxpayers have to pay for this primary election, but 20 percent of the voters can't be involved,'' he said. "Unless the parties want to pay for the elections themselves, they shouldn't be private affairs. We need to get back to the point of view of the voters, not what's good for the political parties...''

For the complete article, please visit the San Francisco Chronicle website.