PO Box 34431 | San Diego, CA 92163 | (619) 207-4618

October 13, 2015 [Registrar] RE: Use of Public Funds for Private Central Committee Elections Dear County Registrar, This letter is written on behalf of the Independent Voter Project and the individual voters it represents, several of whom have added their names as signatories below. State law provides that a county registrar shall conduct party central committee elections at the request of any qualified political party (see e.g., California Elections Code sections 7230 and 7425). However, a political partys county central committee does not perform any governmental functions and membership in the committee is not a public office (see, Wilson v. San Luis Obispo County Democratic Central Committee 175 Cal. App. 4th 489, 500 (2009), holding that California Election Code provisions that seek to govern the composition of a party central committee violate the First Amendment rights of political parties and their members). The California Supreme Court has observed that taxpayer funds shall not be disbursed unless a direct and substantial public purpose is served and non-state entities are benefited only as an incident to the public purpose." California Housing Finance Authority v. Elliot 17 Cal. 3d 575, 583 (1976). We respectfully request that your office refrain from expending any public resources for the administration of party central committee elections unless each political party requesting administration of its private central committee elections agree to reimburse your office for the full and fair public costs related thereto. Sincerely, Jeff Marston Co-chair, Independent Voter Project [Additional Names to Follow]