The California Republican state convention concluded on September 9. The convention made no changes to the party bylaw that excludes independent voters from voting in the party’s presidential primary. Independents can vote in the California Republican Party primary in June 2008, for partisan offices other than president.
The California Republican Party is the only state party in the nation that willingly lets independent voters vote in its primary for Congress and state office, but not vote in its presidential primary. Also, in Arizona, by state law, independents may vote in any party’s primary for Congress and state office, but this Arizona law does not apply to the presidential primary.
I don’t know why the U. S. district court has delayed ruling in the Arizona Libertarians’ challenge of this Arizona law, as it’s clearly unconstitutional.
In Tashjian v. Republican Party of Connecticut (1986), the U. S. Supreme Court gave parties the right to invite independents to vote in their primaries. But the state cannot force parties to allow independents into their primaries. (At least the state is not supposed to do so.)