Primary Voters must vow they are Democrats

Party hopes to deter Republicans from voting by requiring oath in Tuesday’s S.C. primary

Feb. 01, 2004
JENNIFER TALHELM
Staff Writer

Voters in Tuesday’s presidential primary must declare they are Democrats or they cannot vote.

That has observers predicting that some people will stay away, rather than committing to the Democratic Party — even for a day.

Voters who appear at their polling places will be asked to sign an oath swearing that “I consider myself to be a Democrat” before casting their ballots.

If they don’t sign, they can’t vote.

Democrats say they don’t want to keep independents away, but they do hope to deter Republicans from voting in the primary and interfering with the results. (!!!!!!!)

The pledge is legal because the Democratic Party — not the state Election Commission — runs and pays for the presidential primary, said Donna Royson, deputy executive director of the Election Commission. South Carolina requires only that voters declare they have participated in just one party’s primary.

Read Article