20% of GOP votes cast by non-Republicans?

MichelleMalkin.com ^ | January 30, 2008 | Michelle Malkin

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Yesterday afternoon, I noted reports of independents voting in the closed Florida Republican primary and pointed out the state law requiring that voters establish party ID by registering 29 days before an election.

Flip Pidot took a look at exit poll results posted at CNN (see page 4) and wonders how 20 percent of GOP votes were cast by non-Republicans:

[NavVet]

Romney needs to start cutting ads tomorrow that feature him and his chosen running mate Fred Thompson if he wants to have a chance on Super Tuesday.

[nikos1121]

hashe chosen fred?

[Non-Sequitur]

Romney needs to start cutting ads tomorrow that feature him and his chosen running mate Fred Thompson if he wants to have a chance on Super Tuesday.

Shouldn't he ask Fred if he wants the job first?

[Berlin_Freeper]

I don’t know but i guess an independent voter could properly register republican before the election, then vote and walk out of the place telling CNN they are an independent.

[CPOSharky]

Who would “lie” to a pollster? (Tee, hee)

[NavVet]

No not yet, I was using a rhetorical device to suggest that Romney should choose Thompson Yesterday etc.

[Past Your Eyes]

Here in NH, not only can people declare for a party on the day of an election (they can’t switch if they were already declared), they can walk in and register and vote on election day. It’s a terrible thing and has ruined this state. It will only get worse if we don’t do something about it and I don’t foresee that happening.

[Past Your Eyes]

My SiL has written a song called “Let’s All Lie to the Pollsters”. I’ve never heard him sing it but the words are pretty clever.

[mikeus_maximus]

It doesn't matter. None of the candidates are viable, and conservatives can't vote for any of them in clear conscience.

What was particularly galling was Mel Martinez shilling for McCain on Fox last night, calling him the "only true conservative candidate" and "following Reagan."

Laugher.

But the GOP knows that's still a desirable label, and they've slapped it on their quasi- liberal nominee in every election cycle since 1988!

[SE Mom]

I read the article- but I’m STILL not certain what it means. I thought originally that Republicans who say they’re independent or moderate thinking...but are still Republican. If actual Independents voted in yesterday’s primariy in any significant numbers it will have to be investigated.

[silent_jonny]

ping

[barb-tex]

In Texas we declare our party in the polling place. There are two lines 1 demo and 1 pubbie.We choose which line we want to vote in. Since there are no local candidates in the pubbie ballot, we have to choose the demo side to vote for them.
barbra ann

[kevinm13]

Of course Soros is trying to influence the election.

If 20% admitted in polling after an election that they were not Republican, imagine how many actually were plants paid to influence a primary who lied to the pollster.

Support your candidate and don’t let the drive-by media or Soros decide for us.

[NavVet]

Duuhhh. My use of the past tense was intended to suggest that Romney should have already done this.

P.S. Spotsylvania County Rules, Fredericksburg Drools.

[Past Your Eyes]

Oooo, I found it.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1932719/posts

[Cobra64]

Romney needs to start cutting ads tomorrow that feature him and his chosen running mate Fred Thompson if he wants to have a chance on Super Tuesday.

Yes. Romney could be the public "face" and hopefully Fred would straighten Romney's ass out to be a true Conservative.

[advance_copy]

Mitt Romney signed English-only in schools and vetoed in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. John McCain tried to push shamnesty. That alone is more than enough reason to vote Romney.

But you can bet that these 20% non-republican voters broke at least 80% for McCain. With 1.6 million voting, 20% is 320,000 voters. That gives McCain about a 190,000-vote boost, which is more than his margin of victory.

So much for McCain winning an “all-Republican” primary. His minions jumping for joy in the press should remember that the the Democrats and Independents are going to be voting in the Hillary vs. Obama race on Super Tuesday, not the GOP primaries.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Ed Morrissey seeks to clarify this here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1961887/posts

In this case, exit polls show "party identification" statistics that put 20% of the voters outside of the Republican Party. That's their stated personal identification, not their actual party registration for last night's primaries. That's not a bug, it's a feature, and it's unavoidable -- unless major parties want to stop re-registering voters altogether. I'm actually a little surprised that only 3% of the vote came from re-registered Democrats, considering the uselessness of their own primary this year, which still attracted over 1.6 million voters to the 1.8 million who voted in the GOP contest. Three percent of that vote would have been 54,000 voters, and yet McCain won by almost 100,000.

[dforest]

Did anyone hear Mel Martinez say he wanted to do everything he could to get a democrat...er Republican elected?

He was talking to Alan Colmes last night.