State Democrats say they will sue Republican Secretary of State Beth Chapman because her office would charge the opposition party $28,000 for a voter list.

Chapman said her office interprets the law as saying the secretary of state will furnish one voter list per year to each party without charge.

The Democrats received theirs in April. But argue they need an updated list and it’s due them.

Certainly, many people have registered since then.

The Democrats will scramble to contact as many voters in various races as possible — the nature of politics.

There’s an old joke about Democrats’ poor organization, lack of money and bad timing. That’s the issue here.

The Democrats are short cash, want to mount a campaign before Nov. 4 and discovered they didn’t have the equipment.

Now, instead of standing up and taking responsibility for creating a mess with themselves, the Democrats want to cast a shadow over the keeper of the records and throw something into court.

This is a part of the hubbub that keeps the Alabama Legislature torn up and unable to make any progress. Now, it extends to the voters.

If every Democrat threw a dollar into the till, it’s a sure bet that the party would get its $28,000 and then some to purchase that voter list without throwing a fit and threatening to go to court.

Come on, guys, you have elections to win and the future to groom. This kind of fight won’t do the party or increase voter interest.