Posted on 02/01/2004 9:26:25 AM PST by DEM-SPOILER
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT TODAY'S ( FEB. 1 2004) PUBLICATION OF THE STATE NEWSPAPER BASED OUT OF COLUMBIA S.C. IS STATING THAT PRIMARY VOTERS ARE BEING REQUIRED TO VOW, PLEDGE, AND SIGN A DOCUMENT AFFIRMING A DEMOCRAT PARTY AFFILIATION. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THIS STATE IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN OPEN PRIMARY STATE.
THE SC ELECTION COMMISSION ONLY REQUIRES THAT VOTERS HAVE PARTICIPATED ONLY IN ONE PREVIOUS PRIMARY OF ANY POLITICAL AFFILIATION. THIS ALIENATES / INTIMIDATES INDEPENDENT VOTERS FROM PARTICIPATING IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS. IT HAS BEEN MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CLAIMS TO BE THE PARTY OF INCLUSION AND TOLERANCE. I GUESS NOT IN THIS CASE.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK INTO THIS. I'M SURE O'REILLY COULD HAVE FUN WITH IT.
SINCERELY,
JAMES MCCLELLAN COLUMBIA, SC
FReepmail me if you want on or off this list.
Do you have a link to the article in The State?
Primary Voters must vow they are Democrats
Party hopes to deter Republicans from voting by requiring oath in Tuesdays S.C. primary
By JENNIFER TALHELM
Staff Writer
Voters in Tuesdays presidential primary must declare they are Democrats or they cannot vote.
That has observers predicting that some people will stay away, rather than committing to the Democratic Party even for a day.
Voters who appear at their polling places will be asked to sign an oath swearing that I consider myself to be a Democrat before casting their ballots.
If they dont sign, they cant vote.
Democrats say they dont want to keep independents away, but they do hope to deter Republicans from voting in the primary and interfering with the results.
The pledge is legal because the Democratic Party not the state Election Commission runs and pays for the presidential primary, said Donna Royson, deputy executive director of the Election Commission. South Carolina requires only that voters declare they have participated in just one partys primary.
Democrats said the national party has required the pledge since 1984 in South Carolina and other states that dont require voters to register by party.
We want everybody to come vote as long as its done in good faith, said Don Fowler, a former Democratic National Committee chairman. I dont think many Republicans will come. If they want to come and consider themselves a Democrat for the day, theyre welcome.
But observers say the party might hurt itself because some independent voters will balk at being told to declare a party.
Although Republicans hold most state and federal offices in South Carolina, analysts say neither party dominates and as many as 20 percent of the states residents consider themselves independents.
Theyll either see it in the paper and stay away, or there will be some arguments at the polls, predicted Neal Thigpen, a political scientist at Francis Marion University, who has been involved in Republican politics in the past. Overall, it will decrease participation.
Republicans didnt require a similar pledge in their last presidential primary in 2000, said Charlie Terreni, a Republican and a lawyer who has represented the state GOP.
Terreni isnt concerned about Republicans being shut out of the Democratic primary. But he wondered why Democrats would want to limit the number of voters when the point of a primary is to reach out to new members.
Its politically unwise, he said. If they want to restrict themselves to identified Democrats, theyll be the permanent minority party.
Thigpen added that the reason S.C. Democrats pushed for an early primary was to give a voice to independents and moderate Southern Democrats.
This would seem to me to run counter to that objective, he said.
Brad Gomez, a USC political scientist, argues encouraging independents to vote in the primary increases the likelihood of selecting a candidate who can win in November.
Party primaries tend to favor more extreme candidates, he said, but centrist candidates have the edge in general elections.
Its especially important for the Democratic Party, which is losing white, male voters to the Republicans over social issues, he said.
You want to have these open competitions because it brings others into your fold, Gomez said.
Democrats say they dont think the pledge will be a problem.
This Democratic pledge shouldnt be a deterrent for any voter who wishes to participate in the primary, said Nu Wexler, the state partys executive director.
U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina has the most to lose if independents or Republicans decide not to vote.
Edwards favorable ratings are more than 70 percent among independents and 60 percent among Republicans, according to the most recent Zogby poll.
His state director, John Moylan, is not worried.
We have to recognize that the purpose of having a primary is for people who believe in the party and want to nominate the best candidate, he said. We will win this election under the current rules.
Margaret Sorrenti of Lexington County, who identifies herself as a Republican, said she is intimidated by the pledge because she doesnt like being pushed to promise something she doesnt believe.
But she still plans to vote because she believes more strongly that the national front-runner, U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, would be bad for the country. To make her point, Sorrenti said she will vote for U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the most conservative Democrat in the race.
I just dont want to see Kerry win, she said. Weve had Clinton-itis far too long, and we dont want to repeat that.
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