The fastest growing group of California voters, contrary to what was said a few weeks ago, will not be allowed to vote for one of the major party's presidential candidates next year.

Two weeks ago, the new chairman of the California Republican Party, Ron Nehring, told reporters that he would authorize voters registered as 'decline to state' as eligible to cast ballots in next year's GOP presidential primary.

Not so fast, it seems.

Now, attorneys for the state Republican party have clarified that Nehring can't unilaterally make that decision. And as GOP blogger Jon Fleischman points out this morning, even if the party wanted to make the change... there probably isn't enough time under national GOP rules to do so.

Democrats, of course, love the disparity. Their state party leaders have agreed to allow so-called 'DTS' voters to cast presidential primary ballots in 2008.

There's no real way to know how this will play out. Might Democratic candidates need to devise strategies that help them reach out to middle-of-the-road moderates? Might more conservative GOP candidates now be better suited to win in the Golden State?

For now, it's all a good parlor game. But at least we know the rules.