U.S. District Court Judge M. Hannah Louck has expedited the case Parson v Alcorn. This is the case over whether the Virginia State Board of Elections should comply with the Republican Party’s request that voters who ask for a Republican presidential primary ballot in March 1 must sign a statement that says the signer is a Republican. The statement says, “My signature below indicates that I am a Republican.”

Here is a newspaper editorial in opposition to the sign-in statement. In my opinion, the newspaper’s use of the word “oath” is not good language usage. “Oath” is defined as “a formal calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says, or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says.”

The lawsuit, filed by three voters, is a strong one. The Virginia open primary has already been upheld in the past, on the grounds that Virginia parties are free to decide for themselves if they want a government-administered primary or if they would rather nominate at their own expense by convention or caucus. The Virginia Republican Party considered using a caucus this year instead of a presidential primary, but decided to keep the primary.