This is from a Reuters' story about the SC Primary (via Yahoo):
"Republicans and independent voters can vote in South Carolina's Democratic primary, but must sign a pledge publicly declaring themselves Democrats."
This is the first I've heard of this. I can't find anything about it on the Party's website. (Jeff, had you heard this before?)
I feel sure that requiring such a pledge is legal. South Carolina is one of two states (Utah is the other) that conduct Presidential primaries without government funding, so I guess that parties can make whatever rules they want.
My question is Why? To discourage Republicans from voting? I'd think the names on the ballot, and apathy, already did that. But Independents? Ever since Republican Carroll Campbell was elected Governor in 1986, the SC Democratic party has become increasingly irrelevant above the local level. If party leaders want to return to the glory days of old, they need to be actively courting Independent voters, not building speed bumps in front of the polling booths.
I heard something a few months ago then nothing else. It's not legally binding in any fashion I've heard, but just trying to discourage Republican gate-crashing apparently.
Posted by: Jeff | January 27, 2004 at 03:38 PM
They can get away with it because the Democratic Party runs the Presidential Primary still in S.C.
It's still not binding legally... but they can do it. If the state ran the presidential primaries it would be illegal.
Posted by: Jeff | January 30, 2004 at 10:27 PM