Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, had pinned some hopes of achieving a win in the Maine caucus. In order to bring about that win, Paul skipped the CPAC convention to campaign in Maine, according to ABC News.
But when the votes were counted, Paul fell short, placing second to Mitt Romney. Paul's supporters are unhappy and are crying foul.
What were the results of the Maine Caucus?
According to Reuters, Romney took 2,190 votes (39 percent). Paul came in second with 1,996 votes (36 percent).
Why is the Paul campaign unhappy?
According to Paul's supporters, their candidate got robbed of the election, according to the Atlantic. Washington County, in the eastern part of Maine, canceled its caucus Saturday because of inclement weather. So did part of nearby Hancock County. Thus the voters in those areas did not have their votes counted in the final tally.
How is the Maine caucus organized?
On the Republican side, municipalities can hold a caucus any time in the 2 1/2 months leading to the announcement of results on Feb. 11, according to Maine's League of Women Voters. The caucuses do not select presidential candidates, except in a straw poll that comprise the results that has Romney winning. They select delegates to the state party convention who in turn will make the votes that count toward selecting delegates.
What is the problem?
Paul's proponents point out the results, while nonbinding, constitute an important psychological win for Romney, who suffered a trio of defeats at the hands of Rick Santorum in Missouri, Colorado and Minnesota. Also, Paul had campaigned vigorously in the state and his efforts would seem to have come to naught where racking up a win in concerned.
Paul's supporters also point to other voting irregularities, reported in the Bangor Daily News. For example, there was a discrepancy between the final vote tally sheets and the green index cards that voters gave back to poll workers when they took their ballots. That meant a number of ballots were considered void.
Texas resident Mark Whittington writes about state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network