GOP frontrunner Donald Trump is slamming the Republican Party of Virginia for requiring that primary voters sign a statement to confirm that they are Republicans.
Trump posted on Twitter:
It begins, Republican Party of Virginia, controlled by the RNC, is working hard to disallow independent, unaffiliated and new voters. BAD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2015
Hopefully the Republican National Committee can straighten out the total mess that is taking place in Virginia’s Republican Party. FAST!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2015
Straighten out The Republican Party of Virginia before it is too late. Stupid! RNC
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2015
The voters the Republican Party of Virginia are excluding will doom any chance of victory. The Dems LOVE IT! Be smart and win for a change!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2015
R.P.Virginia has lost statewide 7 times in a row. Will now not allow desperately needed new voters. Suicidal mistake. RNC MUST ACT NOW!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2015
“Trump and others say the requirement could discourage independent and first-time voters from casting primary ballots in Virginia, where primaries are open to all registered voters,” reports the Washington Post.
According to the Post, the Virginia GOP made the change after an executive committee vote on December 17th to require a nine word pledge in the states primary on March 1. The pledge reads: “My signature below indicates that I am a Republican.”
The idea of using of a voter pledge in this cycle may have developed after the party struggled to find unity following conservative Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) beating GOP establishment’s former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in 2014, the Post suggests.
The Virginia GOP said both parties have required voter pledges in the past.
UPDATE: A source tells Breitbart News the state party informed all campaigns of the change last September, and none apparently expressed concern at that time.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.