Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally at Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto, Calif., on Wednesday. Sanders had challenged the state's voter registration deadline in federal court, saying it amounted to voter disenfranchisement. A judge disagreed. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

SAN FRANCISCO, June 2 (UPI) -- A federal judge refused the request of a group affiliated with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to re-open voter registration in California and require volunteers at polling places to tell voters with no party affiliation that they can vote in the Democratic primary.

In a suit filed in federal court in California, the Sanders-affiliated group, along with California's American Independent Party, claimed that the inability of voters to register to vote in the days leading up to the state's June 7 primary, and the potential confusion among voters who are not affiliated with any political party about which primaries they can participate in, amounted to voter disenfranchisement.


U.S. District Judge William Alsup disagreed.

"There's absolutely no showing of any federal violation," Alsup said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In California, unaffiliated voters -- known as "no party preference" voters -- will be allowed to vote in the Democratic primary, the Libertarian Party primary and the American Independent Party primary. The California Republican Party decided to keep its primary closed to voters who are not members of the party.

The potential confusion for unaffiliated voters, of which there are 4.1 million in California, prompted Sanders to file suit, saying poll workers should be required to explain to these voters what their options are.

Alsup said there was no need to do so.

"The citizens of California are smart enough to know what their rights are," he said.

According to the Sacramento Bee, the Sanders campaign does not plan to appeal the decision.