[Sosfbay-discuss] Fair Elections?

[Tian Harter]

Getting $5 from each of 7,500 people is quite a bit of work. Probably 
you could do it with good name recognition and a few dozen volunteers.

My entire donor list from 2006 was probably under 100 people. I don't
think 7500 Californians would give me $5 donations, but maybe they would
if I had a good schwag or something like that. But then it wouldn't be a
donation.

I like this idea a lot better than that "top two" one, which I consider
to be more or less a death sentence for third parties. I don't like it
enough to do any work for it though.

Tian

Palm Haven Handyman wrote:
> Wes,
> 
> Please dumb it down for me.  Should I be supporting this thing or agin it?
> 
> I favor electoral reform.
> 
> 
> Roy III
> 
> On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 1:51 PM, Wes Rolley <wrolley at charter.net 
> <mailto:wrolley at charter.net>> wrote:
> 
>     Cameron's note sent me off to do some research.
> 
>     Here is the actual text of the bill that will be on the ballot:
>     Note, in all of the following, we are only dealing with the
>     Secretary of State Elections in 2014 and 2018... sort of a test case
>     before doing more.
> 
>>     (b) For eligible candidates in a general election:
>>     (1) The base amount of Fair Elections funding for a
>>     performance-qualified
>>     candidate in a general, special, or special runoff election is one
>>     million three
>>     hundred thousand dollars ($1,300,000).
>>     (2) The amount of Fair Elections funding for an eligible qualified
>>     candidate in a contested general election is 25 percent of the
>>     base amount
>>     a performance-qualified candidate would receive.
>     So, Cameron is correnct in that Dems would receive 4 X what a Green
>     would receive if the Green candidate were not "performance-qualified." 
> 
>     So, what is the definition of being "performance-qualified"?  (I am
>     going to cut and paste just a few key items so that you get the point.
> 
>     OK.. this gets a bit more complex as you go thorough it all. 
> 
>     First, there are "office qualified" candidates.
>     To become "office-qualified" you must do *ALL* of the following:
>>     1. The candidate files a declaration with the commission that the
>>     candidate has complied and will comply with all of the
>>     requirements of this
>>     act,....
>     and
>>     2. The office-qualified candidate shall collect at least 7,500
>>     qualifying
>>     contributions. ($5 per contribution).
>      and some more administrative provisions to be followed.
> 
>     Then for the performance qualification???
> 
>>     A qualified candidate shall collect at least one-half of the
>>     number of qualifying contributions as required for an office-qualified
>>     candidate for the same office. A qualified candidate may show a
>>     greater
>>     base of support by collecting double the amount of qualifying
>>     contributions
>>     as required for an office-qualified candidate to become a
>>     performance-qualified candidate.
> 
> 
>     There are a few other wrinkles, including one on getting the word
>     out that you really need these contributions.  That is called "seed
>     money".
> 
>>     (b) A seed money contribution shall not exceed one hundred dollars
>>     ($100) per donor, and the aggregate amount of seed money contributions
>>     accepted by a candidate seeking to become eligible for Fair
>>     Elections funding
>>     shall not exceed seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000).
>     In 2006, Debra Bowen spend $1.4 Million plus on her campaign for
>     Secretary of State. Compare that to the $1.3 limit imposed here. 
>     BTW: Republican Bruce McPherson spent
>     $2.3 Million and Green Forrest Hill spend $35 K.
> 
>     So, a real question is raised:  Forrest Hill garnered 9,246 votes in
>     Santa Clara County.  If each of those were to contribute $5 we could
>     have an office qualified candidate for Sec. of State in 2014.
> 
>     So, how well organized can we be?  Can we make 15,000?   I really
>     don't know.
> 
>     One of my points is that we need to do the real work and real
>     analysis on every one of these decisions before making them.  This
>     much took me about 15 minutes. 
> 
>     -- 
>     "Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth" Roberto Clemente
> 
>     Wes Rolley
>     17211 Quail Court, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
>     http://www.refpub.com/ -- Tel: 408.778.3024
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Greenbuilder
> CA General Contractor B #756438
> 
> 
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-- 
Tian
http://tian.greens.org
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