The Independent View: Rep. Party of Virginia Requires Primary Loyalty Oath

The Republican Party of Virginia plans to require that 2016 Primary voters sign a statement confirming they are Republicans.

The requirement could discourage independent and first-time voters from casting Primary ballots in Virginia, where primaries are open to all registered voters.

According to some experts, the voter pledge has the potential to hurt Trump, in particular, because his unorthodox candidacy has attracted voters disenchanted with traditional party politics. "It begins, Republican Party of Virginia, controlled by the RNC, is working hard to disallow independent, unaffiliated and new voters. BAD!" Trump said in one of five tweets sent over several hours on Sunday.

The Virginia GOP Party Executive Director, John Findlay on Dec. 17, said after the Executive Committee voted to require the nine-word pledge in the State's March 1 Primary. The pledge reads: "My signature below indicates that I am a Republican."

Findlay called the requirement "a reasonable threshold" that was not intended to target a specific candidate or group of voters and was approved "with a simple goal: to ensure Republican voters select our Republican nominee in 2016."

The issue of a voter pledge has long divided the State party, which has struggled to find unity after activists helped Dave Brat topple House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the summer of 2014.

Supporters say the statement is a way of ensuring Democrats and other non-Republicans cannot vote in Republican primaries to sabotage the process. Hard-core conservatives influenced by the Tea Party movement have tended to support the pledge, while moderate establishment Republicans generally do not.

Some have speculated that the pledge is a way to obtain a fresh list of Republican voters, and contact them. The statement asks for an email address, but does not require it, according to party officials.

The party's decision also has been questioned by at least one State lawmaker, Del. Robert Marshall (R), who told The Richmond Times-Dispatch that he worries the requirement will "discourage independent voters from ultimately supporting our nominee." But Del. David Ramadan (R) said on Sunday that he supports the party requirement. He responded to Trump with an angry tweet of his own: "Our party, our rules; your $$s and your bullying do not work in the Commonwealth. MORON!!"

In an interview, Ramadan said: "If Trump considers himself a Republican and his supporters consider themselves Republican, then what's wrong with signing a pledge saying they're Republican?" Ramadan, who is from Lebanon, said he received thousands of tweets from Trump supporters in response to his message. Some, he said, attacked both his position and his heritage, using obscenity and insulting images. "That is the discourse that Trump creates," the lawmaker said. "That is pathetic, it's dangerous, it's un-American."

The Virginia GOP says both parties have used statements or pledges in the past, including Fairfax County Democrats, who in 2003 required voters to sign a statement affirming belief in the Party's principles and support for the party nominee.

In 2000, the State GOP also required voters to sign a statement confirming their party loyalty. Officials said that pledge was "significantly more detailed" that the current version, and added that the 2000 Primary attracted record participation, with more than 660,000 voters casting ballots.

Virginia does not have registration by party.