Reynolds Responds re: New Hampshire Primary Voting Rules and Ron PaulIn a recent article that appeared on the Gambling911.com website, special contributor Jennifer Reynolds raised the issue of US Presidential primary voting rules changes and specifically addressed the issue of New Hampshire and how its procedures could affect the so-called media classified "lower tied candidates" like Texas Representative Ron Paul.
James Forsythe, the Ron Paul "Meetup Coordinator" representing the state of New Hampshire insists that "Gambling911.com has been creating a mountain out of a molehill".
"Our web site and meetup group has been swamped with e-mails from folks around the country concerned with the changes in the voting rules in New Hampshire," Forsythe says. "This is frustrating since the rules HAVE NOT CHANGED in New Hampshire." (see Mr. Forsythe's posting here)
Here, Ms. Reynolds responds to Mr. Forsythe.
-----
In a recent post/article James Forsythe, claims that the rules in New Hampshire have not changed regarding voting information. This is not quite accurate. They have changed. The deadline for being able to change parties has changed from To Be Announced to October 12. I do not have the screen prints handy, but as of a few days ago, on October 3, 2007, the New Hampshire Secretary of State website was still claiming that the last day to change your registration was "To Be Announced" even though the Associate Press Wire released this new deadline on September 29, 2007. This means that the Secretary of State of NH, Mr. William Gardner set the date, gave people less than two weeks to do something about it, and then that crucial information stayed off of the official state website for another 5 days. This kind of action only serves to thwart democracy not, encourage it. One would think that something as important as the deadline for something to do with voting would be given out with a little more notice.
Mr. Forsythe claims that his web site and Meetup group has been swamped with emails from folks around the country concerned with the changes in the voting rules. I apologize to all if my article appeared inaccurate with regard to NH changing from an open primary to a closed primary. I did not mean for this to be the case. Looking back at it, I should have written that paragraph more carefully. However, if the Meetup Coordinator for NH (Mr. Forsythe) has been swamped with emails about this, it appears that a good many people thought, previous to my article, that NH was an open primary state, otherwise, they would have just shrugged off my article as stating the obvious. So, if I got even one person to understand the rules correctly, I will not apologize for that. That ton of email is good news. That means people are listening and caring about voting for Ron Paul and perhaps some votes have been saved.
Until Gambling 911 posted that article, very few people knew about the October 12 deadline in both NY and NH and no one was discussing the importance of this deadline. This is a big deal for Ron Paul. He cannot afford to lose any of the supporters that he already has and many of his supporters are currently registered Democrats. Therefore, it was important that ALL of his supporters were told about the extremely short time frame in which to change their registration.
It is also very important that folks in NH know that "Voters should be aware of their party status before a primary election. If you voted on a party ballot in the 2006 state primary, you are now a registered member of that party unless you filled out a card to return to undeclared status with the supervisors of the checklist." I take this quote directly from the Secretary of State's website. So, it is very possible that people who thought they were undeclared are now official Democrats without even knowing it! Another cause for alarm. Does it not seem a tad misleading to you that people officially fill out paperwork stating they want to be considered an undeclared status and then the state changes their party affiliation without their request? (Technically, both Mr. Forsythe and I were incorrect about there being an Independent status in New Hampshire. The choices there are either Republican or Democrat or Undeclared Status, that is assuming the state's website is correct. See above.)
What my article did was warn people that there are voting rules out there that are changing or may be different than what you think they are. It is very important to get the message out to Paul voters about what you have to do to vote for him.
Now, I am certainly not vouching for Wikipedia's accuracy, but on their website, a website used by many, they falsely claim that NH is an open primary. I did not even see this entry until I began writing this current article, and I did not in any way shape or form rely on Wikipedia in writing the previous article, I only bring it up because clearly, misinformation abounds about the rules for voting in many states. Here is another site that claims that NH has an open primary and this one and here and here and here and here. Apparently, because undeclareds are allowed to vote for either party, many people mistakenly label NH an "open primary" state. However, to most people, the term "open primary" means that members of any party can vote for any candidate and this is terribly misleading and potentially dangerous to the Ron Paul camp. Once again, to make it perfectly clear: NH is a closed primary state and registered Democrats will not be allowed to vote for Ron Paul. But NH is not the only state that has confusing rules. I personally called several states to ask them their rules and on average, they gave out more false facts than accurate information. Sadly, anyone relying on that information would have been prevented from voting for Ron Paul. I do not claim this is a conspiracy, I claim this is rampant incompetency, but incompetency that is very dangerous to our democratic process. If you cannot trust the Secretary of (your) State to give out accurate information, then we are all in trouble.
The voting rules in this country are a mess. It is vital that we all know the rules before it is too late to do anything about it. Speaking of, for you Delaware folks, your deadline to change party affiliation is fast approaching on October 31, 2007. I simply do not know and cannot follow the rules for every state.
Mr. Forsythe claims I am making a mountain out of a molehill. Well, that molehill could end up tipping an entire election. Half the people in this country don't vote at all and therefore probably have no idea of the rules in their states. Many of these folks are coming out of the woodwork to vote for the first honest man in decades. Many people did not vote in the last election and rules have changed since then. Many people have never voted in a primary before. It is important to get them correct information about voting and voter registration. It is thrilling that so many care so much to find out how to make sure they will be able to vote for Ron Paul.
States all across the nation are jockeying to be more important by moving up their primary dates left and right. It is unlikely all these changes will get to the voters. But we here at Gambling911 tried to do what we can to help keep this country a democracy and to make sure that people retain their right to vote for the person of their choice. For those of you that want to vote for Ron Paul, make it easy on yourself, change your voter registration to Republican right now. That way you won't have to worry about deadlines changing or other rules changing, you will be safe and we just may get the greatest President of all times.
What this brings out is just how many people are confused about voting rules. If you get the rules wrong, you may not be able to vote for Ron Paul, and what could be more important in this race? In many states, not even Independents can vote for Ron Paul. At least now folks know about the deadline of October 12, 2007 for NY and NH voters. But again, just for the primaries or caucuses, be 100% safe and register as a Republican NOW so that no one can stop you from voting for Ron Paul. In all states Republicans can vote for Dr. Paul. Also, check regularly to find out when the primary or caucus is for your state and keep checking as the dates keep moving.
To my readers: I apologize for any errors, no matter how minor, my article may have contained. I strive to be as accurate as possible. Not even I am able to wander through the maze of voting rules without occasionally making a wrong turn: These rules are tricky!
---
Jennifer Reynolds, Gambling911.com Special Contributor
Originally published October 6, 2007 6:33 am ET
