RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Party leaders in Virginia will ask the state to cancel a required party affiliation statement for the March 1 GOP presidential primary.
The Virginian-Pilot reports leaders voted on the issue Saturday. GOP state central committee member Roger Miles says leaders are halting their plans because of “bad publicity.”
At the party’s request, state elections officials were requiring all GOP primary voters to sign a statement affirming “I am a Republican” before being allowed to cast a ballot.
Republican officials had previously said the statement was intended to prevent Democrats from voting in the Republican contest since Virginia does not register voters by party and allows anyone to participate in any primary election.
Supporters of Donald Trump had gone to court to try to block the requirement.
“Rescinding this ‘Affiliation Statement’ will allow the Virginia Republican Party to become that bigger, better more welcoming and diverse party that can Make America Great Again. I would like to offer my congratulation to the RPV for making this decision. It is the right decision for the GOP, it is right for Virginia, and it is right for our Republic, ” said Corey Stewart, the Virginia chairman for the Donald J. Trump for President organization, in an emailed statement.
Sen. Chap Petersen, a Democrat who represents Fairfax City, said he was “pleased” the loyalty statement was removed. He said the State Board of Elections should not be involved in administering loyalty statements and nor should taxpayers’ funds be involved either.
“Having a loyalty oath was a bad idea from the beginning. That’s why I’ve introduced legislation that would ban loyalty oaths – for both parties. This is a bipartisan problem. With the passage of SB 686, we’ll be able to end the practice of partisan loyalty oaths in the Commonwealth,” Petersen said in an emailed statement.
If a party wants its voters to sign a loyalty statement in a primary, it should hold a closed process like a convention, Petersen said.
Petersen said he will drop the emergency clause he attached to the bill, which means the bill can now pass with a simple majority.
The bill will be heard on Tuesday, Feb. 2 in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, Petersen said.
WTOP’s Max Smith and Kathy Stewart contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
