On June 28, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a Republican, deleted funds from the state budget that were intended to help pay for administration of the Republican Party primary. See this story. The Republican Party will now raise the $1,500,000 that the primary costs from private sources.
We always knew that primaries were costly on taxpayers. Good for the governor.
Good job Governor Haley!! Now your northern neighbor, North Carolina (my state) needs to follow!
ALL states should follow her example! Especially those wherein if you are NOT registered as a Democrat or a Republican you don’t get to vote in the primary but your tax dollars get to pay for it!
If the state sets the rules, the state should pay at least for the expenses that they mandate. If the party sets all the rules, the party should pay for it all.
Bravo! Parties may be inclusive by law, but they’re really exclusive organizations based on ideology. There’s no reason taxpayers should fund their selection process or any of their functions.
Whatever happened with the plans in Kansas and Washington to just abolish them outright? As I recall, there were numbered state house bills moving at speed through their legislatures.
Kansas and Washington did abolish them for 2012. Those states will use caucuses.
#4 (West): I agree, if the state sets rules for it, or requires it, then it ought to pay for it. However, they need to abolish the publicly funded primary altogether and let Parties choose how to nominate their own candidates at the PARTY’S expense.
#4 So does that mean that if the state sets the rules for independent and 3rd party candidates that the state should pay for independent and thrid party ballot petitioning costs?