The 2022 Annual Meeting of the NH Republican State Committee will be held in Windham this coming Saturday, January 29. Among the more important issues to be voted upon at that meeting will be a proposed amendment to the By-Laws of the NHGOP that could have a major effect on our elections in the future.
The voting members of the state committee (each county has a specified number of state committee members who have been selected by the “Delegates”) will have the opportunity to enhance the integrity of the process by which Republican candidates are selected in the primaries.
At present, when someone wants to run in a Republican primary, they must complete, sign and file a Declaration of Candidacy, stating, in part, that they are “a registered member of the Republican Party.” The specific required language is set forth in the statutes.
But come Primary Election Day, voters who have previously registered as “Undeclared,”( i.e. not registered as members of the Republican Party), can choose to become Republicans-for-the-moment, and obtain and vote to choose who will carry the Republican banner into the General Election, magically changing back into Undeclared status on their way out of the poll.
Why are voters who have failed or refused to register as members of the Republican party in advance of election day allowed to choose the Republican nominees to run in the general election?
Should an instant, momentary Republican, choose Republican candidates?
Frankly, this makes no sense, and actually enables non-Republicans to select as our nominee a candidate that may be the weakest candidate, thereby enhancing the chance of victory of a D candidate in the General Election.
The solution is simple and is recognized in NH laws. All that needs to be done to cure this situatuion is to adopt a rule limiting voters in the primaries to registered Republicans, which is expressly allowed to be done by applicable law.
Some might claim such a rule should be in the party platform, which is supposed to be a statement of core principles. Others claim that such a change would undercut our claim of being a “big tent” party. Still others claim we should establish a committee to “study” the issue- sort of like voting to send a proposed bill in the General Court to “interim study”- the cemetery of unpopular bills. All of these arguments beg the question and in reality seek to perpetuate a ridiculous situation.
We have tolerated this intolerable situation for much too long, and it is time for a change.
The following is the proposed addition to our by-laws by an amendment that requires a 2/3 vote:
“No person who is not registered on the applicable checklist as a member of the Republican Party immediately prior to the date any Republican Party Primary election is to be held shall be given a ballot of the Republican Party for such party primary election or permitted to vote in that Republican Party primary.”
In the past, some have opposed this proposal on the claims that if it were adopted the party would have to pay the expenses for the conduct of our primaries. That is absolutely NOT true. Secretary of State Scanlan, in response to my inquiry on that specific issue, stated in writing:
“The state is responsible for conducting a party primary by statute, but the political parties determine who can participate in their primary. There are no fees charged by the state for conducting a primary for a political party.”
Thus, it appears that the only reasons to continue to allow persons whose political principles did not allow them to register as Republicans in advance of primary election day are (a) maintenance of the status quo; and (b) a misguided desire to allow non-Republicans to influence the selection of Republican candidates.
