2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Some Tips to California Voters to Avoid Being Disenfranchised [View all]procon
(15,805 posts)I worked my local polling place for years, and the "Declined To State" party preference was changed years ago and has nothing to do with Sanders.
When you go to your polling place as a No Party Preference voter you can pick from 4 ballots, a non-partisan ballot, which will have no presidential candidates listed... like if you're really pissed off and don't want to vote for any candidate. There's also the American Independent Party (not the same as an Independent), the Democratic Party, or the Libertarian Party. The Republicans only allow Republicans to vote.
You can wear anything you want into the polling place, shirts, hats, bling, it not an issue. What you can't do is carry in signs, or hand out literature, or confront other voters. You can however do that outside and away from the actual polling place.
The workers will ask you which ballot you want, not just give you one arbitrarily. They have to account for all the ballots and if a voter discovers they were given the wrong ballot and returns it, or they change their minds (voters can actually screw up 3 ballots), the poll workers still have to log those in and account for them. No one is going to refuse to give any voter a ballot, that is purely a lie.
Even if you show up at the wrong polling place for some reason, cant get to your correct polling place, or your name is not on the list at that precinct, you still have the right to cast a provisional ballot there. California wants everyone to vote and the system is designed to make it very easy for everyone to vote.