(01-21) 15:47 PST San Francisco — Today is the last day to register to vote in California's Feb. 5 presidential primary.

Any new or revised registration cards have to be filled out, signed and postmarked by tonight, or would-be voters will find themselves sitting on the sidelines when the rest of the state picks candidates for president.

The deadline is particularly important for decline-to-state voters who want to cast ballots in the Republican primary. Party leaders decided last year not to open their primary to independent voters, so only registered Republicans will be able to pick from among the GOP presidential hopefuls.

Independents, who make up about 20 percent of the state's voters, are welcome to register as Republicans for the primary, said Hector Barajas, a spokesman for the California GOP.

"In this election we're selecting delegates to the national convention, which will decide on party rules for the next four years," he said. "The (state party) board and members thought that members of the party should make that selection."...