There may be something of a conspiracy against Ron Paul, but this is not it. The rules for voter registration are set by state law and party bylaws. Under New Hampshire law, e.g., the secretary of state sets the date for the presidential primary, and the voter registration deadline is linked to that date. The secretary of state is trying to make sure that NH's primary remains the first in the nation.

Under California law, a voter has until two weeks before the election to change his or her affiliation. So any Californian who wants to vote for Dr. Paul on February 5 has until January 21 or 22 to register as a Republican.

In New Hampshire, independents will definitely have their choice of either party's primary. In other closed primary states as well, each party decides whether to invite independents into its primary.

BTW: In New Hampshire, October 12 is the deadline for currently registered voters to change their affiliations. NH has same-day registration for new voters, meaning that unregistered voters may register at the polls and vote on election day.

Steve Rankin
http://southerncrown.blogspot.com/