Official investigating party switches

SACRAMENTO, April 1 (UPI) -- California's secretary of state is investigating whether Department of Motor Vehicles employees switched some voters' party affiliation, her office said.

Secretary of State Debra Bowen, a Democrat, is investigating how the DMV collects and distributes change-of-address information to see if voters' party status was changed inadvertently in some cases, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Tuesday.

"It's certainly worth looking into. Secretary Bowen wouldn't want even one voter to be disenfranchised. So, because the question was raised, we will find the answer," said Bowen spokeswoman Nicole Winger.

About 50 Republicans from Los Angeles and San Diego counties have complained that they were denied a GOP ballot in the state's Feb. 5 primary because they were not registered Republicans, the newspaper reported.

They complained that poll workers told them they were registered as non-partisans or members of a minority party, the newspaper said.