By Shaun Sutner
Local Republican activists backing Ron Paul for president say state GOP leaders are undermining grass-roots activism by moving to invalidate some ballots cast this spring for the Libertarian congressman.
The state Republican Party's allocation committee is set to meet tonight at the Holiday Inn in Marlboro to discuss some issues, including whether provisional ballots will be counted and whether some delegates properly signed in at the party caucuses in April.
In the March 6 presidential primary election, former Gov. Mitt Romney received 72 percent of the vote, followed by former Sen. Rick Santorum with 12 percent. Mr. Paul received 10 percent and former Speaker Newt Gingrich received 5 percent.
At the Republican caucuses in April, slates of Mr. Paul's supporters overwhelmed many slates pledged to Mr. Romney.
The party move is mainly directed at the 5th Congressional District, which includes Mr. Romney's hometown of Belmont and where all six Romney delegate and alternate candidates lost to Paul candidates. It involves a complaint alleging that not all participants signed in.
Activists and Paul supporters say they will protest the 6 p.m. meeting.
The only Central Massachusetts Paul delegate who might be unseated is Joseph Cavallaro of Warren, who was elected in the 1st Congressional District in part with provisional ballots.
Otherwise, Mr. Paul's delegates and alternate candidates defeated Mr. Romney's candidates for all 18 slots in Central and Western Massachusetts.
Delegates will attend the August Republican national convention in Tampa. Massachusetts delegates for Mr. Paul have promised to vote for Mr. Romney if he is the party nominee, but those from some other states are expected to possibly abstain or even walk out in protest, causing problems for the party.
Provisional ballots are those cast by caucus voters who registered as Republicans with local election clerks by the Feb. 15 deadline, but who had not been recorded as party members by the secretary of state's office by the April 28-29 caucuses.
Bradford P. Wyatt of Boylston, leader of the statewide uprising against the party establishment slates, complained that any action by the state GOP to unseat Paul supporters and replace them with Romney delegates would hurt the party in the long run by furthering the impression that the party is unresponsive to activists.
“The repercussions of this are going to be long and hard,” said Mr. Wyatt, owner of a Worcester development company and a Boylston School Committee member. “They're sort of shooting themselves in the foot. You're going to disenfranchise people if you don't count the votes.”
State party spokesman Tim Buckley said in a prepared statement: “As required by the Party's delegate selection rules, the allocation committee is meeting tonight to hear directly from individuals concerning challenges filed at the beginning of this month and to hear from all interested parties. No determinations regarding any delegate challenges will be made this evening.”
But one member of the committee, state party Treasurer Brent J. Andersen of Auburn, said it is clear provisional ballots will not be included because the caucus rules do not provide for the ballots.
“The provisional ballots will not be counted. They're not in the rules,” Mr. Andersen said.
Local Republican activists backing Ron Paul for president say state GOP leaders are undermining grass-roots activism by moving to invalidate some ballots cast this spring for the Libertarian congressman.
The state Republican Party's allocation committee is set to meet tonight at the Holiday Inn in Marlboro to discuss some issues, including whether provisional ballots will be counted and whether some delegates properly signed in at the party caucuses in April.
In the March 6 presidential primary election, former Gov. Mitt Romney received 72 percent of the vote, followed by former Sen. Rick Santorum with 12 percent. Mr. Paul received 10 percent and former Speaker Newt Gingrich received 5 percent.
At the Republican caucuses in April, slates of Mr. Paul's supporters overwhelmed many slates pledged to Mr. Romney.
The party move is mainly directed at the 5th Congressional District, which includes Mr. Romney's hometown of Belmont and where all six Romney delegate and alternate candidates lost to Paul candidates. It involves a complaint alleging that not all participants signed in.
Activists and Paul supporters say they will protest the 6 p.m. meeting.
The only Central Massachusetts Paul delegate who might be unseated is Joseph Cavallaro of Warren, who was elected in the 1st Congressional District in part with provisional ballots.
Otherwise, Mr. Paul's delegates and alternate candidates defeated Mr. Romney's candidates for all 18 slots in Central and Western Massachusetts.
Delegates will attend the August Republican national convention in Tampa. Massachusetts delegates for Mr. Paul have promised to vote for Mr. Romney if he is the party nominee, but those from some other states are expected to possibly abstain or even walk out in protest, causing problems for the party.
Provisional ballots are those cast by caucus voters who registered as Republicans with local election clerks by the Feb. 15 deadline, but who had not been recorded as party members by the secretary of state's office by the April 28-29 caucuses.
Bradford P. Wyatt of Boylston, leader of the statewide uprising against the party establishment slates, complained that any action by the state GOP to unseat Paul supporters and replace them with Romney delegates would hurt the party in the long run by furthering the impression that the party is unresponsive to activists.
“The repercussions of this are going to be long and hard,” said Mr. Wyatt, owner of a Worcester development company and a Boylston School Committee member. “They're sort of shooting themselves in the foot. You're going to disenfranchise people if you don't count the votes.”
State party spokesman Tim Buckley said in a prepared statement: “As required by the Party's delegate selection rules, the allocation committee is meeting tonight to hear directly from individuals concerning challenges filed at the beginning of this month and to hear from all interested parties. No determinations regarding any delegate challenges will be made this evening.”
But one member of the committee, state party Treasurer Brent J. Andersen of Auburn, said it is clear provisional ballots will not be included because the caucus rules do not provide for the ballots.
“The provisional ballots will not be counted. They're not in the rules,” Mr. Andersen said.
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