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November 29, 2007
Good grief! (Election edition)
From the NY Times Opinionator Blog:
Open primaries in which voters don’t have to be a member of a party to vote for its candidates have long been a thorn in the sides of national Democrats and Republicans. Now, according to the Associated Press, Virginia’s G.O.P. is going to do something about it: “If you’re planning to vote in Virginia’s February Republican presidential primary, be prepared to sign an oath swearing your Republican loyalty. The State Board of Elections on Monday approved a state Republican Party request to require all who apply for a G.O.P. primary ballot first vow in writing that they’ll vote for the party’s presidential nominee next fall.”
Oh, the joys of our system. This would be one reason I favor the caucus approach. These candidates are seeking the nomination of their parties. There's nothing wrong with requiring people to publicly declare their support for a candidate in an open forum like a caucus at this stage. Open primaries do leave open the possibility for interlopers to distort the nomination process. That said, if you don't like the law... change the law. But if you're going to have open primaries, then they should be subject to the same rules as any election. And this tactic would arguably seem to violate those rules. Sure it's unenforceable. But they are asking people to promise a future vote as a condition for voting in the present.
I'm sure the Virginia Republicans will argue that they have the right to restrict access to their primary ballot. After all, it's their party and their nomination process. But I think they're trying to have it both ways. If you don't like open primaries, change the law. Don't impose a loyalty oath. That just makes you look silly.
Posted by William Polley at November 29, 2007 10:47 AM
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