The American Guesser

No, this isn’t a post about legalized prostitution. It’s about ballot access and the lack thereof.

Via Ballot Access News:

On August 18, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court again upheld the unique Pennsylvania practice of charging candidates for the costs of removing them from the ballot. The Court issued a one-sentence order in the 2006 Green Party case, affirming that the Court’s prior opinion stands, and that the Green Party’s candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006 and his attorney must pay approximately $80,000 to the people who challenged their petition.

If petition challenges work in Pennsylvania like they do here in Illinois, the extremely political. Sometimes, state workers are dispatched to make sure those nasty greens and libertarians are kept out of the process.

Consider this idea from Joel Hirschhorn at The Constitutional Matters Project:

Showing the problem of ballot access, engineered by the two major parties, is that there were only 15 states where all four were on the ballot. In all but one, Nader received more votes than the other three third-party candidates. In four states only one of the four candidates was on the ballot; in one state none of them were (Oklahoma).

[snip]

I say that current third-party activists should admit defeat, shut down their unsuccessful parties, and move on. Unlike so much of American history, current third-parties no longer play a significant role in American politics or even in affecting public policies. They have shown their inability to matter.

We need a new, vibrant political party that could bring many millions of American dissidents, progressives and conservatives, and especially chronic non-voters, together behind a relatively simple party platform focused on structural, government system reforms (not merely political change). Examples include: replacing the Electoral College with the popular vote for president, restoring the balance between Congress and the presidency, eliminating the corrupting influence of special interest money from politics, preventing the president to use signing statements to nullify laws passed by Congress.

What would unite people is a shared priority for revitalizing American democracy. It should position itself as a populist alternative and opponent to the two-party plutocracy. It should define itself as against the corporate and other special interests on the left and right that use money to corrupt our political system. Possible names: Patriotic Party, United Party or National Party. With Thomas Jefferson as its spiritual founder it should seek the political revolution he said was needed periodically.

Have you ever met a Libertarian? Or a Green? The only things they agree on are that ballot access laws suck. These are not people who would be amenable to the sort of middle of the road, pragmatic party Mr. Hirschhorn is describing. These guys hate middle of the road.

Also, I have found that most people who gravitate toward alternative parties don’t expect to win. They could care less about winning strategies. They have a burning desire to prove they are right, and a desire to capture a tiny bit of the spotlight.

But I agree: A more centrist party that wasn’t tied to corporate interests and took a pragmatic approach could capture voters not happy with the Big Two. Just don’t expect a lot of participation from the current players in Third Party politics

The Modern Whig Party — which has yet to field a single candidate running under that label — might be what Mr. Hirschhorn is looking for. It’s got party affiliates in 25 states now, and many of those who signed up are regular and former military. It’s platform is one of pro national defense, takes no official stance on abortion and promises to pick and chose ideas from both the Dems and GOP.

The Whigs are warning would be candidates that it won’t tolerate anyone using the party to promote extreme or loopy ideas and theories. Which tells me the party is being run by people serious about winning races and making change, not just people who want a soapbox or who want to collect donations or sell books.

Via Ballot Access News:

On November 13, Alan Keyes and his vice-presidential running mate in California, Reverend Wiley Drake, and other members of the American Independent Party, filed a new lawsuit over Barack Obama’s eligibility to be president. Keyes v Bowen, Superior Court, Sacramento, 34-2008-80000096-cu-wm-gds.

Unlike other lawsuits about the eligibility of either John McCain or Obama to serve as president, this case has a presidential candidate plaintiff. All the other cases have been dismissed because the plaintiffs were said to lack standing. This is the first case with a presidential candidate-plaintiff.

It’s all about the rumors that Obama wasn’t born in the United States.Or that he’s not a citizen because his dad wasn’t an American. Whatever. His mother was an American. It’s nonsense, of course. And there’s no way that ANY court would rule against Obama at this point.

UPDATE: W. James Antle, III at American Spectator had this take on Keyes’ effort:

As Weigel points out, Keyes is actually the sanest person actively involved in pushing this conspiracy theory. Phil Berg is a 9/11 truther, Andy Martin once ran for Congress (as a Democrat) in order “exterminate Jew power.” More interesting is what has happened to Keyes. He was once an interesting conservative thinker, even if he lacked the people skills for electoral politics. But the Obama-Keyes Senate race seems to have been a sad turning point in the former Reagan administration official’s career.

Note: The following note was sent out to members of the Modern Whig Party:

To the members of the Modern Whig Party,

With 2009 just around the corner, a lot is going on with the Modern Whig Party. We continue to attract countless new members from all walks of life and political affiliation. We now are also up to 25 official state chapters. In addition, a team of professional political “heavy hitters” deeply rooted in the process have signed on to assist in some behind-the-scenes efforts to better promote our movement. As such, please expect in the coming months some changes to our national Web site and higher-impact campaigns that will compliment our existing message and longterm strategy.

Get into the campaign: Groundwork also is being laid for our 2009 campaigns. The first relates to Target Fairfax. Our organization will focus the energy of thousands of service members, veterans and non-military alike as we work to expand this mainstream, non-ideological and common-sense grassroots organization into the Northern Virginia region. We chose this region as our first focal point because it is the most populated county in Virginia and in the shadow of Washington, DC. This means that the media and national political groups and individuals will be paying attention. In fact, this is how we have already attracted our anonymous “heavy hitters.”

But to succeed, we will need your help. We are not asking for your money as we are planning some unique and innovative specific fundraising events in 2009. Instead, we are seeking interested members who may wish to offer some tactical support. This means sending emails to select Fairfax County and Washington, DC media outlets. Telling them about our grassroots movement. Explain how the Modern Whig Party was founded by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as a veterans advocacy organization before spiraling into the mainstream. Inform them that this increasingly-growing national movement is converging on the area. Tell them that we are for common-sense solutions.

Bottom line is that if our national membership can work together to keep up the pressure and exposure, our ground team can work to pull this off. To participate, please contact our Virginia team at virginia@modernwhig.org. Also, certainly contact us if you live in the DC metro area and want to play a localized role.

Candidates: In the near future, please expect an email from our candidates in Virginia and elsewhere explaining their credentials. All of our candidates will work to not only get elected, but also to promote our movement. If any member wishes to run for office in 2009 with the backing of our national party, please contact us.

Best regards,

Executive Committee
The Modern Whig Party

http://www.modernwhig.org

Via Perry County Greens:

Green Party of Connecticut officials will file a complaint with local and state election boards that “REGISTERED” WRITE IN votes were not counted in all towns across the state as required by state law, it was announced today. This decision was reached after state Greens checked their own town votes totals showing no registered write in votes for the Green Party candidate for President, Cynthia McKinney and after receiving numerous complaints that town polling places had no list of registered write in lists, were reluctant to show any list, and some local voters were told their write in votes would not count.

So, not only do alternative parties have a hard time getting on the ballot, when they do get votes, they don’t count. Gotcha.

Hat tip: IPR.

I’m NOT a Green, but I favor ballot access for all. That way, the voters decide. But Illinois’ Big Two parties are scared to death of letting voters have that choice. So they keep kicking alternatives off the ballot. Case in point, from Ballot Access News.

On June 9, Illinois elections officials removed four Green Party nominees from the November ballot. They are Iain Abernathy in the 8th district, David Kalbfleisch in the 10th district, Robert Hill in the 14th district, and Troy Dennis in the 17th district. All four districts are fairly competitive between the two major parties, and all four Greens had been nominated by party meeting after the February primary was over.

Illinois regulates political parties to a great extent. The Green Party followed state law, but it supplemented state law with its own Bylaws, especially in cases in which no Greens had run for party office in the February primary in certain counties. It is not clear if the Green Party will go to court to fight for these nominees. But case law, more and more every year, establishes the right of political parties to control their own nominations process.

Because, as you know, society will grind to a halt if counties were forced to pay to have one or two extra candidates appear on the ballot. Horrors!

Whatever you say, commissars.