GOP: Crisscross may have to jump, jump

Alabama Republicans may do what Democrats did decades ago and ban crossover voting in their runoff this year. The GOP originally permitted crossover ballots to attract voter interest during the days when Democrats reigned in the Solid South, but now that the region has moved largely to the elephants' side, that motivation is gone.

A University of Alabama political scientist said the move probably would come because of GOP leaders' fear that crossover votes might throw a gubernatorial runoff victory to ousted state Chief Justice Roy Moore. I'm not so sure about that, though; even if some Democrats voted for Moore, you'd think at least as many would cross over to support Gov. Bob Riley in an effort to keep Moore as far as possible from the Governor's Mansion.