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[the comments about the Democratic and Republican parties could easily be applied to NY, as could the solution. -ISW]
Democrats and Republicans in Harrisburg [Pennsylvania] have, for all practical purposes, merged into one party – the incumbent party – and find it in their mutual best interest to prevent others from competing in general elections. The Democrats fear left-leaning parties such as the Green Party, and Republicans quake at the thought of the Libertarian and Constitutional parties on the right.
This is because the presence of such alternatives on the ballot serves to underscore the degree to which both Republicans and Democrats have all too often abandoned the core principals of their parties in their efforts to hold office and cling to the political power it brings.
I am not a fan of Ralph Nader, but he was clearly wronged in 2004. The deck was stacked against him from the beginning, and it now appears as though tax dollars were used to ensure that he never even got into the game. Nader is now suing for compensation for his legal costs, something those who denied him his rights should be required by the courts to pay.
But more needs to be done. State Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon, has the answer. Sen. Folmer has introduced the Voters’ Choice Act, which would do away with the current formula setting signature requirements for minor party and independent candidates and replace that formula with a set number of signatures equal to the number of signatures Republican and Democratic candidates must gather to get on the ballot. That would result in a level playing field.
from DelcoTimes.com
Filed under: activism, Ballot issues, election, elections, grassroots democracy, Green Party Websites, New York State Politics, Political Websites, US Politics Tagged: | carl romanelli, pennsylvania, Ralph Nader
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