Posted on 02/15/2012 11:44:31 AM PST by TitansAFC
AUGUSTA, Maine — Pressure is mounting on the Maine Republican Party to reconsider its weekend declaration that Mitt Romney won the state’s caucuses, at least until all votes have been counted.
The Maine GOP announced Saturday that Romney narrowly edged Ron Paul, 39 percent to 36 percent, in a nonbinding presidential preference poll taken during the caucuses. The margin was fewer than 200 votes.
A number of communities were not included in that poll because they had not held their caucuses by the deadline spelled out by the state party.
Washington County Republicans postponed their caucuses, originally scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 11, because of a pending snowstorm and will now meet this Saturday. Other communities across the states also have caucuses scheduled for this weekend and later this month.
All along, state GOP officials said communities knew that their votes would not be included in the final results if they did not hold their caucus by Feb. 11.
However, a review of the town-by-town results released Saturday by the Maine GOP suggests that some communities that had caucused prior to Feb. 11 were not counted. Nearly all Waldo County towns held caucuses on Feb. 4 but those towns were blank in the results released by the state party. Additionally, Waterville held its caucuses ahead of time but were not included in the results.
Waldo County GOP Chairman Raymond St. Onge said the results were sent to the state party on Tuesday, Feb. 7. He said those results probably would not have changed the outcome but was disheartened the votes were not included.
St. Onge said he spoke to party officials late Tuesday about why Waldo County’s results were omitted.
“They said it was a clerical error,” St. Onge said. “I’m going to believe them because there were other errors that occurred. I don’t think it was intentional because our results wouldn’t have changed the winner.”
Maine GOP Chairman Charlie Webster said Monday that including all caucus votes likely would not change the outcome of the state’s preference poll. Asked whether the party would consider updating the result to include all communities, he said that is up to the state party committee, which meets next month.
Some big names already are urging the party to reconsider.
“I think it’s not surprising that there would be very strong objections to the notion that our votes wouldn’t count in Washington County,” Senate President Kevin Raye, R-Perry, said Tuesday. “I’ve made known my position that those votes should count and the [GOP] chair said he would take that request to the state committee.”
L. Sandy Maisel, professor of government at Colby College and a Democrat, said the perception seems to be that because the Maine Republican Party establishment largely supported Romney, it was selective when tallying the results.
“It sure looks like they counted what they wanted to count,” he said.
Paul supporters have taken to Facebook to generate interest in Maine’s remaining caucuses. Even Paul supporters in New Hampshire are planning a get out the vote effort in Washington County’s biggest towns this weekend.
In 2008, only 113 Republicans caucused in all of Washington County, according to Webster, and only eight of those voters supported Paul.
But Maisel said that’s not the point. Even if the results don’t change, the party needs to acknowledge that perception is louder than reality at the moment.
“I think this is a red flag to people that want to be part of the party organization because that organization doesn’t seem to exist,” he said. “They came up with a bad process and then decided ‘we can get some publicity.’”
Maisel said he thinks the caucus process should change but doubts that it will.
“To have a beauty contest preference poll makes no sense,” he said. “They should be electing delegates who are pledged to a candidate.”
Raye said he believes that although the Maine results are nonbinding they matter “in the court of public opinion.”
He also said he fully expects record turnout at the Washington County GOP caucuses this weekend.
Agreed with 100% of your post. Spot on IMHO. Count all of the ones who voted properly...do not count the ones who do not.
They all knew what day it was and they all know they are living in Maine in February.
The state has the right to establish how they elect their delegates I suppose...but I too much prefer a straight up primary as opposed to a caucus.
Can’t stand Paul, but the winner needs to be he who gets the votes.
The attempt to “fix” this for Romney is disgusting and non-American.
Santorum will win big in the burbs but mittens will win Detroit by whatever number is required, even if it exceeds the entire population number for the city.
kanawa wrote:
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Ron Paul, Coulter’s second choice.
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Ann Coulter has gone insane... and this is just the latest proof that she is definitely NO LONGER a conservative.
We have a top notch secretary of state who is a fraud fighter no matter what party it is.
FYI
In addition to the missing votes from Waldo and Waterville ... the situation in Washington County:
THe Romney-supporting chairman postponed the caucuses, although he says the party told him that the votes would still be counted on 2/18 (they lied to him).
It never did snow. But no votes were cast in that entire county. It is a rural area, on the New Brunswick border. About 2% of the state population is in that county.
The city of Waterville is 1% of the state. Waldo County is about 3%. I saw mild forms of cheating in Piscatiquis County by the caucus chairman. I thought he was a Romneyite, but he turned out the be a Santorum guy.
Isn’t it amazing how the clerical “errors” always seem to favor the left-most candidates? Always.
If I lived in Virginia, I would vote for Ru Paul just to prevent Romney from winning since only 2 candidates were able to get on the ballot.
It goes deeper than that, Romneys Mormon menions are keeping people off the ballot in several states. Romney is trying to steal the nomination
That's probably what I will do.
Don't some states allow for early voting over a series of days like FL? It isn't so much the way states vote but what the outcome is. Playing games in IA and ME to boost the beltway favorite is crooked pool.
It's despicable and unacceptable.
FYI, Newt on Greta now. The program usually re-airs in 3 hours.
BTW, add me to your Newt ping list. Thanks!
And what difference does it make? Who gives a rat’s a$$?
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