A Republican operative in Arizona has recruited three homeless men to run for office on the Green Party ballot, in the expectation that they will siphon off Democratic votes.  A New York Times report depicts the operative, Steve May, as openly admitting his tactic, and not regretting it in the least. Democrats, says the Times, are furious. But everyone else should be too. Here is just some of what is wrong with May’s conduct:

• It is cheating, and thus dishonest. Candidates should win on their merits, not with trickery.
• It is disrespectful to the democratic process and the Arizona public.
• It exploits public apathy and ignorance to the detriment of engaged and responsible voters.
• It exploits the fake candidates, subjecting them to hostility and ridicule for May’s purposes.

Mostly, however, it is cheating. The public, in its rush to “throw the bums out” this November, should resent a plot to manipulate the electoral process by cheating. A party that lets its operatives behave like May cannot be trusted to govern, no matter how unattractive the alternatives are. Arizonans should give the state G.O.P a deadline for removing May and forswearing future dirty campaign tricks, or pledge to vote Democratic.

This must not be tolerated.