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KW writes:
Ballot Access News, Richard Winger’s web-site, just put more of its archives on-line. Below is the kind of “just the facts” story I posted about it on Independent Political Report, where I am a kind of news stringer. But, here onthewilderside, I wanted to add my less objective comments…
Richard Winger is awesome! So glad he found the resources to get more of his work on-line. Having Ballot Access News charts and info on the web is a big help for people who care about democracy, third parties and the right of candidates to run. The old issues of BAN have great material which can be used as examples of stories and rants, and even for lawsuits showing how unjust ballot access laws are and how unfair it is to try to get on the ballot. Way cool development in the world of electoral activism! Congrats, Mr. Winger and team.
As posted on Independent Political Report:
On its web-site, Ballot Access News [BAN] has reported that paper issues of its publication dating from 1993 to the present are now available on-line. This extensive archive of ballot access material can be found through the BAN web-site here.
Ballot Access News is a non-partisan newsletter reporting on ballot in the United States of America. BAN has a web-site with daily updates. Though, there is also a printed newsletter, which often includes additional details and charts. BAN covers news, updates, regulations, statistics and legal opinions throughout the United States which concern political parties and independent or third party candidates.
The Ballot Access News web-site notes, “There are many surprisingly restrictive ballot access laws in this country, which the average voter has no knowledge or conception of; part of our purpose here (besides reporting on progress made) is to report on these restrictive ballot access laws so that more people are aware of them.” Ballot Access News is also used as a resource for candidates and electoral activists.
About the editor/publisher
Richard Winger is the editor and publisher of BAN. Winger is a Libertarian, though his work is decidedly non-partisan. Winger thanked Michael Ravnitzky and Eric Garris for help with BAN’s archive project. Winger is the nation’s leading expert on ballot access legal issues, and has testified in court cases and legislative hearings. He has been published in the Journal of Election Law, the Fordham Urban Law Review, the Wall Street Journal and other publications. He has appeared on media including NBC, CNN, Pacifica Radio, and National Public Radio. In 1985 Winger helped found, along with several minor party representatives, the Coalition on Free and Open Elections (COFOE).
What you can find in the archives
The archives of BAN include important lists and legal cases, as well as interesting peeks into the history of ballot access, third parties, third party candidates, and independent candidates. Some examples are below.
In the January 1993 issue of BAN, you can find a chart of the House of Representatives vote totals for 1992, including candidates from Libertarian to Socialist Worker.
In the December 5, 2000 issue of BAN, you can find a review of the most important re-count lawsuits regarding the “stolen” 2000 presidential election. And, you can also find an article titled “Disobedient Electors in History“, which lists all of the electors in the Electoral College who did not vote the way they were instructed, including examples from 1808 to 1988.
In the February 2, 2009 of BAN, you can find the article, “Summary of Recent Ballot Access Activism“, which includes the Tennessee lawsuit where the Libertarian Party, Green Party, and Constitution Party are joining together to challenge the harsh definition of “political party” used by that state.
Roger Snyder, an electoral activist and previous Green Party candidate who publishes Greens for Greens, said, “The wealth of knowledge in these archives will be helpful to third parties everywhere.”
Filed under: 3rd party, Ballot issues, elections, Green Party, News, politics, third party, US Politics
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