Primary oath may keep independent voters away

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- An effort by the state Democratic party to keep Republican voters from interfering with results of Tuesday's presidential primary may hurt turnout, some political observers say.

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Only voters who sign an oath that reads "I consider myself to be a Democrat" will be allowed to vote in the state's presidential primary on Tuesday.

Some say the party could lose voters, particularly independents, who are unwilling to declare a party even for a day.

"They'll either see it in the paper and stay away, or there will be some arguments at the polls," predicted Neal Thigpen, a political scientist at Francis Marion University, who has been involved in Republican politics in the past. "Overall, it will decrease participation."

Republicans didn't require a similar pledge in their last presidential primary in 2000, said Charlie Terreni, a Republican and a lawyer who has represented the state GOP.

"It's politically unwise," he said. "If they want to restrict themselves to identified Democrats, they'll be the permanent minority party."

Democrats say they hope to deter Republicans from voting in the primary by asking voters to sign an oathbefore casting ballots.

"This Democratic pledge shouldn't be a deterrent for any voter who wishes to participate in the primary," said Nu Wexler, the state party's executive director.

Brad Gomez, a USC political scientist, said encouraging independents to vote in the primary increases the likelihood of selecting a candidate who can win in November. Party primaries tend to favor more extreme candidates, but centrist candidates have the edge in general elections, he said.

Margaret Sorrenti of Lexington County said she is intimidated by the pledge, but she still plans to vote because she believes front-runner John Kerry of Massachusetts would be bad for the country. Sorrenti, who identifies herself as a Republican, said she will vote for Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

"I just don't want to see Kerry win," she said. "We've had Clinton-itis far too long, and we don't want to repeat that."

--From the Monday, February 2, 2004 online edition of the Augusta Chronicle