Letter: Even independents should vote

California's secretary of state needs to do more for independent voters.

Due to redistricting and open primary initiatives, California has a whole new election system. On Tuesday, all voters can take part, whether they're registered with a political party or not. It is the secretary of state's important responsibility to promote voter participation, but the somewhat confusing Voter Information Pamphlet by itself is not sufficient. This is especially true for Californiaπs 3.6 million independent voters (formerly Decline-To-State, now No Party Preference), many of whom have never participated in primaries.

We frequently hear professionally produced radio spots promoting the California Lottery. Surely, voter participation is worth the same effort! The Secretary of State's Office could be doing this and more. Certainly, a press conference or a series of public service announcements could be easily arranged.

It is in everyone's best interest to maximize voter participation, otherwise democracy suffers with painful results. There have been rapid and significant changes in our voting system and California needs to be doing a better job informing voters, especially independents, about what these changes mean.

Anthony Carpentieri

Oakland