[Sosfbay-discuss] Ballot Access is the Wild West of Law - Yeeha!

[Tian Harter]

Drew Johnson wrote:

>(snip)
>
>Exit polling from the 2006 Election showed that the three most important
>interests for American Voters are (Zogby):
>
>1. Ending the War in Iraq
>2. Global Warming
>3. Universal Health Care
>
>Basically neither of the major parties represents the three most
>important issues of the American People.
>
>The Role of Third Parties in American Politics
>
>So what is the role of third parties in American Politics? When the
>major parties veer too far from the will of the American People third
>parties step up to champion those issues. Sometimes they end up
>replacing a major party such as the Republican Party on the issue of
>abolishing slavery. Other times a major party may pick up their issue(s)
>and the third party will no longer be relevant. Examples include Women's
>Suffrage, Social Security, The Weekend, the ending of Child Labor, etc.
>
>Clamping down the Lid and Turning up the Heat
>
>In the 1970's the major parties began to make ballot access more
>difficult for Independent and Third Party Candidates. At the same time,
>they began straying further and further from the will of the American
>People. They are working to put greater limits on the People's ability
>to hold them accountable. Instead they serve the interests of the
>Financial Elites. This has resulted in a decline of the overall quality
>of life for most Americans. On the other hand our rate of Incumbency is
>higher than that of the Communist Party in the Old Soviet Union.
>
>The Cradle of Democracy is becoming the Graveyard of Democracy
>
>Last year we saw the beginning of something that shocked and angered
>anyone paying attention. The Common Wealth of Pennsylvania decided to
>hold candidates personally, financial accountable for the cost of a
>ballot access challenge if they failed to prevail. This has a bone
>chilling affect on independent and third party candidates from seeking
>office. Marakay Rodgers was financially intimidated from running for
>office. She was the Green Party Candidate for Governor in Pennsylvania
>in 2006. We have to see this effort reversed and squashed. The people
>behind are the ones who need to be held accountable for their egregious
>actions.
>
>Carl Romanelli, the Green Party Candidate for US Senate in 2006 decided
>to stay the course and weather the Democrats attempt at financial
>intimidation.
>
>The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently affirmed a Commonwealth Court
>order directing Ralph Nader to pay more than $80,000 to Democratic
>challengers who successfully removed his name from the ballot during the
>2004 presidential election. The court's rationale was that "massive"
>fraud infected Nader's submission of 52,000 voters' signatures-more than
>twice the number needed to access the ballot. Nader could thus equitably
>be required to pay for the transcripts and writing experts needed to
>prove the Democrats' case.
>
>International Human Rights Violation
>
>What happened in Pennsylvania is now considered by the International
>Community to be a human rights violation.
>
>  
>
Here in California we don't have those problems. I know because I've 
exercised our ballot.
That's one reason I persue the "one dollar one vote" idea so vigorously. 
I find that ballot
access is great, and it does open quite a few doors, but by itself it 
has limited value.
Tying it to the marketplace with such ideas as "vote your dollars" I 
hope can make a difference.