The March 31 issue of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has this editorial, criticizing Ohio Secretary of State’s recent directive that changes the rules on which party’s primary ballot a voter may select in the May 2010 primary. As the editorial says, Ohio is an open primary state, meaning that the voter registration form does not ask voters to choose a party. But the Secretary of State’s directive says that if someone voted in one party’s primary in 2008, that same voter can’t choose a different party’s primary in 2008 unless that voter signs a declaration of loyalty to that party’s ideas.
Actually it is state law that if an election clerk “doubts” that a voter is affiliated with a party that it is the clerk’s “duty” to challenge a voter. The basis of that doubt would be the previous voting record of the voter.
The voter can resolve the doubt by making a statement that he intends to affiliate with the party and supports its ideas. The editorial implies that Brunner had said that this provision of the law was unenforceable. What is more likely is that Brunner said it would be impossible to prosecute a voter for falsely stating that they supports the party’s ideas (this is a felony in Ohio).
Of course one wonders why Ohio is threatening voters with jail time simply because they wish to vote in a primary of their choice.
BTW, the directive does not apply to the 4 newly qualified parties. Apparently since it was impossible to be loyal to these parties in the past, it can’t be presumed that a voter is still loyal to an old party.
Yes, it is customary in several states to exempt new parties from such laws. California lets a new party run anyone in its primary, even if the candidate has been a member of another party in the recent past. Lawsuits to force states to give exceptions to new parties (for candidate entry into that party’s primary) have been won in Oklahoma (in federal court in 1980) and Nevada (State Supreme Court, 1974).
When we finally come to our senses and let corporate “persons” vote, and allocate votes proportionate to each voter’s net worth, matters like this will be trivial flyspecks on the ocean.
Why are we so reluctant to embrace true, Republican-style fasci…er, democracy?