Open primary. Any chance it will be changed? Would Redfern front such an idea?

[Ninga]

I say "close the Democratic primary system."

If you want to vote the Democratic ticket, you have to BE a Democrat.

[Kolesar]

1. I am sure that 11th district gops voted for Cimperman for Congress

I doubt that Ohioans could comprehend changing election law. Heck, I struggle with it myself. Would this be a change to party rules or to Ohio law?

[Ninga]

2. Good question. I am not sure. Can the State dictate how parties register their voters?

Parties are not affiliated with the State....they are clubs....aren't they?

[MeDeMax]

3. I support more rigor in checking party affiliation...

for eg, I like the fact that in PA voters had to make a concerted effort before March 24th to declare D affiliation to vote on a D ballot on April 22nd. If you are willing to make the trip to the BOE to change your party a month before the election, I think you deserve to vote in the D primary.

However, I am opposed to excessive fencing around the primary system, we could lose the influx of independents who may be inclined to (pardon the pun) get off the fence and pick sides.

[Kukesa]

4. Absolutely.

Independents should not be alienated.

We've discussed this before and there are no set rules for all the BOEs.

At the precinct where I worked, we challenged EVERY voter who changed party affiliation and then made them sign an affirmation form.

Other Ohio Forum DU members who worked at polls were not instructed as to the above, i.e., RexCat down in Warren County.

I've since heard from people who voted in Montgomery County and were not challenged or asked to sign an affirmation of party change.

We at least need some comprehensive rules and poll-worker education; I believe our SOS, Jennifer Brunner, is working on the latter.

[AngryOldDem]

10. Consistency is the rule.

The law is in place, it should be enforced. It seems to me that poll workers need to be more comprehensively trained, and that the procedure for declaring party affiliation should be uniform across the state.

[Jack 4 Ohio]

5. I must confess that I was a beneficiary of the crossover voting

I received 14,643 votes while my republican opponent received 10,830 votes. Something you never hear of, in a primary election in Medina County.

Medina county, March 4th, primary results.

But I agree, that we ought to pursue changes to the primary election process that ensure tamper proof elections.

[Kukesa]

6. That's terrific! Good for you and congratulations.

That's the best news I've heard about cross-over voting.

:toast:

Since you're new, you might want scroll down the forum and read MeDeMax's OP and thread "and then there is HOPE!" for some background on what happened in other parts of Ohio. Interesting.

[rexcat]

7. I am all for a closed primary election in Ohio...

a primary election is for the political party members of a given party, be it the Democrats, republicans, Bull Moose Party members or whomever, to vote for someone to represent them in the general election. If a republican crosses over to vote in the Democratic Party primary they damn better be wanting to be a Democrat, and that goes for Democrats who want to vote in the republican primary.

As far as independents go, that is their choice and they have decided not to be in an organized political party and they do not adhere to the principles of any given political party so they should stay out of the Party primaries. If there are issues to be voted on in a primary election they should take an "issues only" ballot.

Everyone has the right to vote in the general election but the primary elections are for the political party members. It is a 5th degree felony in Ohio to misrepresent yourself at the polling station and take a ballot of a political party you have no intention of being a part of or what to mess with the other political party's primary election. My I suggest that if anyone doubts this to check Chapter 3513.19 of the Ohio Revised Code.

[Kukesa]

8. Now see, rexcat, there you go again.

You pop in here, present your point of view, and make sense.

Excellent point about Independents and Party primaries. Now I have to start thinking again . . . (instead of what I really want to do: put on my jammies and watch something stupid on TV).

Damn.

:dilemma:

[rexcat]

9. I am still pissed about the Ohio Primary election...

what can I say. I am also stuck in Indianapolis in a hotel for the past several nights but I get to go home tomorrow.

[AngryOldDem]

11. I wholeheartedly agree.

People voting en masse in the attempt to subvert/influence the outcome months in advance corrupt the whole process, not that it needs any more corrupting. If this law cannot be enforced, strike it. But it seems pretty clear that poll workers can challenge crossover voters, but most appear to be hesitant to do so.

ON EDIT: There are worse places, believe it or not, to be stuck in rather than Indy. :hi:

[rexcat]

16. It depends oh how the poll workers were trained...

Here in Warren County we were told at the training session not to challenge any crossover voters which plainly goes against state law. We were also not given pledge cards for crossover voters to sign. This has been a long standing decision of the Warren County BoE. I did not read the law until after I came home the night of the election because of one republican giving me a hard time at the precinct that I was work as a polling judge. Several weeks after the election I found out that republican who gave me a hard time also filed a complaint with the Mason City police department. The Warren County BoE worker made light of it because no one at the BoE is taking it seriously. The Mason police department is also not taking it seriously. I can only hope he gives me a hard time at the GE because I will call the police and have him arrested per the suggestion of the Warren County BoE.

My only issue with Indy was I have been on the road about 90% or the time this year and I would rather be home. Indy is ok and it is a nicer city than Cincinnati.

[Kukesa]

17. Wow! I had no idea you had such a problem at your polls.

I mean a voter filing a police complaint against you?

It's difficult for me to believe that Ohio county BoEs can choose whether or not to follow state law. As you know, it was different in my precinct in Montgomery County.

I'd be pissed, too. At least you can be happy about being home and not in Indianapolis or wherever.

[rexcat]

20. Welcome to my hell...

I have had several discussions with personnel at the Warren County BoE concerning the primary. It will be interesting to see what happens for the next primary election and what they say in the training sessions. I now have a copy of the election laws. From what I have been told in the past the BoE's have done pretty much what they wanted to do as far as primary elections. I think with all that happened at this election there will be more consistency in all counties in Ohio because Jennifer Brunner is going to take action and try to fix the issues, or at least I hope so.

Of other interest I am a Precinct captain and out of the 520+ voters in my precinct prior to the election there were 25 registered Democrats. After the election, per BoE printouts, there are 105. I am waiting for the updated listings. I will be going to every house that voted in the Democratic Primary and see who is and is not truly a Democrat.

I will be writing a letter to Jennifer Brunner about the training issues in Warren County of polling judges and I will include all of those non-Democrat Democrats as part of the problems associated with the primary elections last month. I will also say the primary election laws in the state need to be revised. We need closed primary elections in Ohio.

As far as the idiot who filed the complaint I don't think anyone is taking it seriously. I hope he consults with a lawyer because I don't think any lawyer would want to take the case or if he wants to pursue the issue when the lawyer sees the other side of the story with three other witnesses I don't think anything will come of it.

[Kukesa]

21. Would it help if we could get some Ohio DU Forum members

to write letters to Brunner, as well?

I know we have some other poll workers who post.

Whaddya think? Or should we stay out of it? My husband tells me I have all the tendencies of becoming a "pushy broad."

[rexcat]

22. As far as letters to the Ohio SOS...

If anyone saw problems at the primary they should be writing a letter to Jennifer Brunner. The more she knows who screwed up the system is the better. I think every Democrat should be writing their State representatives and demanding the laws be changed to have close primaries in the State.

[MeDeMax]

12. I am sorry, but Redfern is too busy mobilizing party resources for Hillary

while claiming to be be neutral in the D primary.

Before we debate the statewide primary process we really ought to set forth clear rules of "Equal Access" for all D primary candidates, not just the ones the OhioDems like.

As it stands now, the primary candidates that Redfern & Company like get a disproportionate advantage for winning the primary, no matter what level of office they are running for.

As you might imagine, most losing candidates don't like taking the party to task because they could become further isolated.

[OhioBlue]

13. what is he doing for Hillary now that the Ohio

Primary is over? Is he doing stuff to help out with neighboring States?

[MeDeMax]

14. I don't know that he has done anything since the primary...

to help the clinton campaign.

My gripe is that a few individuals in Columbus decide which one of
the two or three competing candidates will be favored during the
primary season. That candidate then receives a lot of behind the
scene resources to help their race.

So in essence we have Redfern, or whoever the current party chair is,
making it an uneven playing field for our own D candidates. If our
own party bosses are fixing our primary by mobilizing resources for
one candidate and denying another, why complain about a few hundred
thousand over zealous republicans wanting to gate crash our party ?
(yes I see the pun :-) ).

[Kukesa]

15. And that's why I stopped donating $$ to the Ohio Dem Party.

Well, actually that, and the fact that during the 2004 campaign they paid no attention to us. They totally blew us off in Montgomery County; didn't ask for suggestions (even though we live here) and wouldn't take the ones we offered. I'm still angry.

[MeDeMax]

18. I hear you K, and it got worse in 2006, IMHO -- n/t

[OhioBlue]

19. I agree. They shouldn't take sides in a Primary

unless there are extreme circumstances -

I've been to a couple of ODP sponsored meetings and they talk about their neighborhood leader program. I haven't been to one since the Primary, but I have gotten notifications that they are progressing with the training and planning. Which I think is a good thing as long as it isn't geared only toward Hillary.