Crossing Party Lines This Primary? Not So Fast

S.C. Republicans have been concerned for years that the state's open primary system leaves room for Democrats to game the political process.

Members of the SCGOP have filed lawsuits and bills in the SC Statehouse to close the primaries to "true" Republicans, who represent a majority of voters based on presidential elections of the past 30 years.

But before the state's Democrats head to the polls Jan. 21 in an effort to help either a weaker or a more moderate candiate win the SC primary, officials with the S.C. Democratic Party say hold on.

SCDP's Amanda Loveday said S.C. Democrats should vote more wisely by sticking by their party's candidate: President Barack Obama. 

"People should want to vote in the Democratic primary if they consider themselves Democrats in South Carolina," Loveday said. 

South Carolina does not register voters by party, but does not allow voters to vote in more than one primary. 

In the state that catapulted candidate Obama into the Democrat nomination after a hiccup in New Hampshire in 2008, the Democratic Party is asking for Democrats to turn out again for the president. 

Why does it matter in a year where the nominee goes unchallenged?

For one thing, it could affect the state's "first in the South" position for selecting the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. For another, it will prevent a voter from becoming a national delegate at September's Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

 "It can definitely hurt our chances of being the 'first in the South' Democratic primary in 2016 (if Democrats don't vote in the 2012 primary)," Loveday said.

To become a national delegate Democrats must vote in the Democratic primary  and must attend the March 3, or alternate date, precinct meeting. Unlike the GOP primary on Jan. 21, the Democratic primary will be held during each precinct's meeting.

South Carolina has a total of 62 national delegates at the upcoming Democratic National Convention, 37 of which are elected from the congressional district level. For example, District 1 is represented by four national delegates and District 6 is represented by eight national delegates. 

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Republicans or Democrats voting in the other primary to sway the tally toward a "weaker candidate" always comes up as a side issue during presidential preferential primaries in the state. 

"It's not a practice that we would ever encourage or tell people to do," Loveday said. "I would hate to know that was a common thing."

Of the 445,499 voters who participated in the 2008 Democratic and Republican presidential primaries, with 19.8 percent of the state's voters taking part in the Republican primary and 23.7 percent in the Democratic primary. 

When asked if Republicans could have accounted for the larger turnout in the Democratic primary in 2008, Loveday said it was more reflective of the energy and excitement around Obama.