Democrats nix pledge at primary

Voters in today's Democratic presidential primary will not have to sign a loyalty oath.

The state party on Monday received permission from the National Democratic Party to take the pledge out of the primary.

Some voters had criticized the oath, which required voters to pledge membership in the Democratic Party.

State party chairman Joe Erwin said the oath had been put into Democratic Party elections in 1976 to ensure that voters didn't take part in more than one primary.

In a prepared statement, Erwin said opponents of the Democratic Party had "(spread) confusion about the pledge to try to depress turnout and confuse voters."

He added: "Excitement is building for the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary, and hundreds of thousands of South Carolina voters want to take part. We at the South Carolina Democratic Party have heard their voices and today we are acting to send a message that they know they are welcome in our primary."

Jenni Engebretsen, a spokeswoman for candidate John Edwards, welcomed the change.

"This is good news for John Edwards and good news for the party. Bringing people into the process is always positive," she said, adding that Edwards has a "broad base of support" in the state.

With the oath no longer a threat to voter turnout, local Democrats are closely watching the weather.

Volunteer Elizabeth Teel said the party "may have to make adjustments" if the weather is bad.

She said that if roads are icy, party officials would call state party leaders in Columbia to coordinate a plan.

Teel said she isn't sure what adjustments might be made, but stressed that safety is a priority. "Our folks working polls, we're not going to put them in a situation where they could get hurt -- the same with the voters."

Teel added that she's optimistic the temperature will stay above freezing. Either way, she said, "The primary will definitely go on."

Baker Maultsby can be reached at 562-7425 or baker.maultsby@shj.com.

More Headlines