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'Crossover' voters won't be investigated (Operation CHAOS in Cuyahoga County)
Columus Dispatch ^ | 4/02/08 | Mark Niquette

Posted on 04/02/2008 5:41:21 PM PDT by Libloather

FALSIFICATION QUESTION OVER PRIMARY
'Crossover' voters won't be investigated
Wednesday, April 2, 2008 2:53 AM
By Mark Niquette

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
No one who switched parties in last month's primary in Cuyahoga County will be investigated for possible prosecution, county election officials decided this week.

And although the Ohio Democratic Party is satisfied with the current primary process in Ohio, the state GOP is willing to discuss whether to change state law before the next major primary in 2010.

Thousands of voters statewide switched parties on March 4. Most were Republicans taking Democratic ballots to participate in that competitive presidential race.

Authorities say state law requires that such "crossover" voters sign a form under penalty of falsification, a felony, that they support the principles of the party whose ballot they are requesting.

There had been talk in Cuyahoga County, the state's most populous, of investigating voters who admitted lying on their form, including one who reportedly wrote on his form that he was switching parties "for one day only."

Democrat Sandy McNair, a county elections board member, made a motion Monday to subpoena that voter, but no one seconded and the matter ended there, spokesman Mike West said.

A Dispatch review of large Ohio counties last week showed wide variance in how the law was applied in the primary. Experts say that because the law is not being applied uniformly -- some doubt it can be enforced anyway -- it should be reviewed.

Some observers argue that Ohio should have a closed primary, in which only those registered with a party before an election or independents can get a particular party's ballot in a primary. Others advocate an open process.

Kevin DeWine, deputy director of the Ohio Republican Party, said the state GOP doesn't favor either option and would welcome discussion in the legislature.

"Nobody views the current law as a deterrent," DeWine said. "They don't know it, and people who want to play games and affect the outcome of the other party's primary can do that today."

The Ohio Democratic Party is satisfied with the current system, spokesman Alex Goepfert said.

"After a well-planned and well-run Ohio primary election that resulted in record turnout and generated unprecedented enthusiasm for Democratic candidates across the state, we don't see any compelling reason to alter the primary rules," he said.


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: crossover; crossovervote; cuyahoga; elections; oh2008; operationchaos; voters
Authorities say state law requires that such "crossover" voters sign a form under penalty of falsification, a felony, that they support the principles of the party whose ballot they are requesting.

Beyond unconstitutional...

1 posted on 04/02/2008 5:41:21 PM PDT by Libloather
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To: Libloather
Not ONLY is it unconstitutional, it is also what the DemonRats did to get McCain to win.
2 posted on 04/02/2008 5:56:49 PM PDT by gidget7 (Duncan Hunter-Valley Forge Republican!)
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To: Libloather
Authorities say state law requires that such "crossover" voters sign a form under penalty of falsification, a felony, that they support the principles of the party whose ballot they are requesting.

Absoulte bullsh*t! I can vote for whomever I want to for whatever reason I want to!

3 posted on 04/02/2008 6:12:55 PM PDT by Rummyfan (Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
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To: Libloather

investigating voters who admitted lying on their form, including one who reportedly wrote on his form that he was switching parties “for one day only.”

This is idiotic! A person who wrote ‘for one day only’ is obviously not lying about his/her party change.


4 posted on 04/02/2008 6:29:34 PM PDT by sobieski
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To: Libloather
Maybe Pennsylvania can investigate the Democrats who crossed-over and reregistered as Republicans to vote for Arlen Specter over Pat Toomey. Specter ran ads asking Democrats to cross over, too.

It's just like Democrats to want it both ways, though. At the same thime that they were arguing that Lautenberg should replace Torricelli on the NJ ballot two weeks before the election, they were demanding that deceased Patsy Mink remain on the ballot in Hawaii, and that if she wins that the Governor should name a replacement.

-PJ

5 posted on 04/02/2008 6:38:31 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too (Repeal the 17th amendment -- it's the "Fairness Doctrine" for Congress!)
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To: Libloather

It should be a felony to vote for Hillary Clinton, but I’m glad they aren’t going to prosecute anyone. Half the people in the country are below average in intelligence, and it could be hard to differentiate malice from stupidity.


6 posted on 04/02/2008 6:40:44 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Libloather
"The state GOP is willing to discuss whether to change state law before the next major primary in 2010."

Watch the dumb asses make it hard for DINOs to vote Republican in the next primary.

7 posted on 04/02/2008 7:14:46 PM PDT by Slump Tester (What if I'm pregnant Teddy? Errr-ahh -Calm down Mary Jo, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it)
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To: Libloather

” that they support the principles of the party whose ballot they are requesting. “

It’d be fun to be challenged on this. I’d be yelling Marxist rhetoric in Russian.


8 posted on 04/02/2008 7:31:48 PM PDT by death2tyrants
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