It was comic theater at its highest at the City-County Building as Marion County Republican Chairman Tom John accused Democratic County Clerk Beth White of breaking the law on buying votes.  Here’s the gist of the accusations.

According to John, White, appearing on the 11 p.m. 6News on Sunday night made the following offer:  If you prove you voted early on Monday or Tuesday, you’ll get preferred seating at Barack Obama’s Wednesday rally at the State Fairgrounds.  According to John, that violates state and federal law about enticing someone to vote by offering something of value.  And it doesn’t matter, he says, that people were only being asked to vote, not specifically to vote for Obama.  It’s still illegal.

White, however, says it never happened.  She says she never made any such offer, that she was merely explaining, in answer to a reporter’s question, that she was preparing for a lot of early voters on Monday, because she had been told that Obama’s people had made the offer.

This all raises many questions.  First, how do you prove you voted?  White’s aides give early voters a little round sticky that says, “I Voted.”  But that could easily be transferred to somebody else’s shirt.

Second, what constitutes value?  The seats at the rally are free.  Obama’s people (who also deny making the offer) say the preferred seats they’re giving out early are actually less valuable than the first-come-first-served tickets available Wednesday morning, because they’re out in the rain.  John says they are valuable, because Obama’s rock star status gives the rally the cache of a concert.

And third, what does this do to practices long engaged in by both parties locally, including John’s Republicans?  Like driving people to the polls.  John says there is no value to that.  It’s just a time-honored way of making the process work.  Well, I’m sorry, but if I can get a Republican or Democratic go-fer to come get me and drive me to the polls, using his $3.50 a gallon gasoline instead of mine, I consider that a value.

I guess it all boils down to a new idea being questionable, but something that’s been done for years being okay.