A whopping number of Californians might be part of a political party by mistake

A surprisingly large group of California voters could be out of luck when it comes time to vote in June's increasingly consequential primaries, because they registered for the wrong political party inadvertently.

A Los Angeles Times investigation found that roughly 73% of voters who are registered for the American Independent Party might have done so because they thought they were registering as independents.

The AIP boasts nearly half a million registered members, according to the paper, making it the state's largest third party.

The American Independent Party traces its roots back to the late 1960s, when segregationist former Alabama Gov. George Wallace ran on the party's ticket for president in 1968. The party's chairman said it's "not segregationist" anymore. Instead, he told The Times that it's a "conservative, constitutionalist party."

Democrats will allow independent voters - those who are registered as having "no party preference" - to cast ballots in the June primary. Republicans will hold a closed primary, meaning only GOP registered voters can participate. AIP registered voters can only cast ballots for candidates on the party's ballot. The deadline to change registration is May 23, per The Times.