No political preference? New California voter registration card aims to prevent mistakes

California voting officials have redesigned the state's voter registration card in hopes of increasing turnout and preventing mistakes in party affiliation.

In 2016, California faced problems with voters intending to register as independents under the "no party preference" category, but mistakenly selecting the "American Independent Party" registration. Secretary of State Alex Padilla said the new form was created in part to eliminate such confusion by emphasizing prospective voters' option to not choose a political party.

"The new design addresses some of the confusion that we've heard over the years," Padilla said.

The card is also meant to be cleaner looking and easier to fill out. It displays more prominently the vote-by-mail option allowing voters to begin casting their votes ahead of the June primary.

A new addition will allow voters to receive elections information via email or text.

The move is part of a larger effort to increase voter participation across California. The state also allows online registration and same-day registration on Election Day at county election offices.

This story was originally published April 5, 2018 at 11:57 AM with the headline "No political preference? New California voter registration card aims to prevent mistakes."