Maine Republican Party officials not only embarrassed themselves with their caucus debacle, they make the whole state look like a bunch of backward, backwoods bunglers.

That’s not exactly the message Maine wants to convey during those fleeting moments when the national spotlight shines on the Pine Tree State.

Party leaders’ mismanagement of the presidential preference poll — and their apparent willingness to shrug off uncounted votes because they wouldn’t have changed the outcome — compromise the integrity of the process and sabotage the commitment, trust and patriotism displayed by rank-and-file Republicans, including the 100 or so who gathered Saturday morning in Brunswick, who braved frigid temperatures to participate in local caucuses.

Questions raised by the way top Maine Republican Party officials managed their presidential preference polling extend beyond how — and which — votes should have been counted and when caucuses were scheduled.

Has anyone in recent Maine history devoted more energy denying people their votes than Republican Party chairman Charlie Webster?

First, he targeted students who relocate to Maine to attend colleges and universities. Then, he went after voters who register on Election Day.

Now, Webster — whose legacy will be symbolized by a locked voting booth blocked by a jersey barrier — seems willing to dismiss scores of caucus participants from the city of Waterville, as well those from Waldo and Washington counties. That cavalier approach not only disrespects the individual Republicans whose votes weren’t counted, it undermines the core democratic principles that so many Mainers have fought to defend.

After the 2012 Maine caucus fiasco, how can we take Webster, Secretary of State Charles Summers and other Republicans seriously when they question the integrity of elections overseen by municipal clerks and polling place volunteers?

History and the past year’s heightened scrutiny of election oversight by municipal officials reinforce the importance they place on ensuring that every vote is handled correctly and counted accurately.

If anything good comes of this mess, we hope it will be a realization among Republican and Democratic party leaders that a primary, managed by local officials, represents a far better system for gauging Mainers’ presidential preferences. A primary would certainly be more inclusive — barely 5,000 votes from the Republican caucuses were counted — and local poll wardens’ proven track record indicates that the results would be far more trustworthy.

Finally, how can Maine Republican Party leaders ask the state’s residents to trust them to run government in an open and responsible manner after they failed so miserably in conducting caucuses and counting presidential preference poll votes?

The implied message is that some votes count more than others — if they count at all — and that achieving a desired outcome takes precedence over firm adherence to and application of democratic principles.

[email protected]