The Trump Virginia campaign chairman signaled Wednesday that legal action is possible if the party doesn’t reverse course on a required primary voter oath.
Virginia Republicans are requiring those who want to vote in the March 1 GOP presidential primary to affirm that they are Republicans before being permitted to cast a ballot.
“If this is not corrected, we’re not going to sit back and tolerate it,” Corey Stewart said in a telephone interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Stewart, the chair of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, said the oath is intended to “confuse and scare off” new voters being attracted to the Republican Party by Trump.
The oath – a form that voters will have to fill out before voting, reading: “My signature below indicates that I am a Republican” – was certified by the State Board of Elections on Dec. 16.
The billionaire businessman first raised issue with the requirement in a series of tweets on Sunday.
“It begins, Republican Party of Virginia, controlled by the RNC, is working hard to disallow independent, unaffiliated and new voters. BAD!” Trump tweeted, beginning a social-media tirade on the pledge.
Virginia law does not allow parties to require registration for voting in party primaries.
The party in 2012 flirted with an oath that would have required voters to pledge to support the party nominee in the November general election before dropping the idea.
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