Va. GOP voters to sign loyalty pledge

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RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The Republican Party of Virginia will require voters to sign a loyalty pledge to participate in the March 6 presidential primary, officials said.

Anyone wanting to vote in the primary must sign the form pledging to support the eventual Republican presidential nominee; if they refuse, they will be barred from voting in the primary, the Richmond Times-Leader reported Thursday.

The State Board of Elections voted 3-0 to approve the forms that would implement the loyalty pledge sought by state GOP.

Signs for polling places and the pledge form advise voters that a section of the state code "allows the political party holding a primary to determine requirements for voting in the primary, including 'the signing of a pledge by the voter of his intention to support the party's candidate when offering to vote in the primary.'"

The oath requires the primary voter to sign and to print his name beneath a line that reads: "I, the undersigned, pledge that I intend to support the nominee of the Republican Party for president," the Times-Leader said.

Virginians don't register to vote by party, meaning any registered voter can vote in a presidential primary.

The Election Board also determined Rep. Ron Paul of Texas will appear first on the GOP primary ballot, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the only other candidate who qualified.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry also submitted signatures, but not enough to qualify for the ballot, the state GOP said last week. Perry has challenged the determination.