Michael Moore seen handing over clean underwear and a voter registration form to first time voter.

Isabella County Prosecutor Larry Burdick refused to press charges against filmmaker Michael Moore Wednesday for “alleged inducements” to get students to vote at his Sept. 27 speech.

The Michigan Republican Party called on Burdick and the prosecutors of three other counties Tuesday to press charges against Moore for offering college students Ramen noodles and underwear in exchange for their promise to vote.

Burdick wrote Greg McNeilly, executive director of the state Republican Party, Wednesday and stated his rationale for “respectfully declining” to file charges against Moore.

“I have to utilize my discretion in what cases to handle, and in that regard I choose to devote our resources to prosecuting those who are delivering cocaine to our young people rather than underwear,” Burdick wrote.

Prosecutors in Antrim, Ingham and Wayne Counties also declined to press charges, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

Michigan Democratic Party Communications Director Jason Moon said state Republicans are attempting to gain publicity from alleging Moore illegally bribed students for their votes.

“We think it’s ridiculous and obvious the county prosecutors have far more things to worry about than (the Republicans’) ridiculous lawsuit,” Moon said.

During Moore’s Sept. 27 speech in Rose Arena, he invited unregistered student voters on stage to receive a prize of Ramen noodles or underwear in exchange for their promise to register to vote.

The Michigan native’s stop at CMU was part of a 60-city tour of college campuses Moore called his “Slacker Uprising Tour”.

Moore did not tell students when he gave them the gifts they had to vote or choose Democrat John Kerry for president, contrary to the state party’s allegations.

In Burdick’s letter to McNeilly, he asked the state’s top Republican whether a jury would be convinced students’ votes were influenced by Ramen noodles, “a staple in their diet.”

“I think most jurors would consider his actions as simply an extension of his ‘pitch’ for young people to vote,” Burdick said.

Moore responded to the Republican Party’s criminal complaint on his Web site, www.michaelmoore.com, and said the GOP has “run out of ideas”.

“It’s ironic that Republicans have no problem with allowing assault weapons out on our streets, yet they don’t want to put clean underwear in the hands of our slacker youth,” Moore said in a statement. “I may soon be a wanted man in Michigan - simply because I convinced a few slackers to change their underwear and eat a healthy meal of artificially flavored noodles.”

Burdick, a Republican, said he did not intend his letter to be disrespectful.

Randall Thompson, a spokesman for Attorney General Mike Cox, told the AP Cox’s office would consider the issue only if a complaint was forwarded from the secretary of state’s office.

State Republican Party spokesman Chris Paolino did not return calls for comment.