Sanders Supporters Sue to Keep Registration Open Until Primary

Citing "mass confusion," Bernie Sanders supporters filed a federal lawsuit to keep active voter registration until the June 7 primary, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The issue centers on whether California voters who intend to cast a ballot by mail understand the "no party preference" rules for the presidential primary, and whether all the counties in the state are doing enough to educate.

"There's mass confusion," William Simpich, a civil rights attorney told the Los Angeles Times. "This is a situation that really shouts out for some uniformity."

Simpich filed the lawsuit in the hopes of extending voter registration past Monday's deadline.

"No party preference" was adopted by the state Democratic Party to allow unaffiliated voters vote in the primary.

In addition to keeping open voter registration, Simpich is also calling for a public service campaign to make unaffiliated voters aware that they can ask for a ballot from one of the three parties — Libertarians and California's American Independent Party being the other two — that allow them to cross over, the Times reports.

As of last week, only 9 percent of "no party preference voters" in Los Angeles County had been mailed a Democratic ballot, the Times reports.

One of the plaintiffs listed on the lawsuit is a group called the Voting Right Defense Project, described as "an organization campaigning to heighten voter education and voter turnout for their candidate, Bernie Sanders," the Times reports.

The Republican Party did not open its primary to unaffiliated voters.

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