{news} Get the Distorted Party Started: Tales From Corrupticut

Tue Aug 28 16:02:48 EDT 2007

Just take a closer look at what the SOTS official says in this article:

As confirmed by Lou Button, staff attorney for the Secretary of the State's
office, now any party can cross- endorse any candidate without the
candidate's knowledge or approval. Unless specifically challenged by the
candidate, his or her name will show up on the ballot as the nominee not
only for whichever major party is running the candidate, but also for all
the minor parties who cross-endorsed him or her. Herein lies the potential
for mischief-making.

Why would anyone pass this kind of legislation?  Your party has to object to
an endorsement otherwise anyone can endorse your candidate without your
candidate's knowledge or consent and your candidate's name must appear on
another party's line.  Does the SOTS have any obligation to inform you that
another minor or other party has endorsed you?  From my experience with the
SOTS the answer is probably no (see below for anecdotal evidence).  In what
sense is this reform , or "more choices" and voices?  These are forced
choices and misrepresented voices that are designed to reward certain third
parties over others for their ideological or political views and create
confusion among voters.  Real third parties don't need this kind of
legalized misrepresentation to prosper. 

It seems that all parties are equal in CT but some parties are more equal
than others when it comes to endorsements.  When someone says that there is
only one way to do something you should ask that person for the studies that
prove their assertion or at least ask them to give you two good examples of
that assertion being true in CT.  When someone says that you have to deny an
endorsement or it must be true, and refuses to give you timely notice of
this unsolicited endorsement, then that person is abdicating and violating
your right to free association and  your 1st amendment rights under your
bylaws and procedures.  This law also violates the equal protection
provision of the U.S. Constitution and other provisions under the  Bill of
Rights.  Looks ripe for a lawsuit.

Notice that the legislature this year decided to change the date that minor
parties have to submit letters of endorsement to local officials from Sept
12th , 2007 to Sept 5th, 2007.  It seems that the SOTS does not have the
professional courtesy or professional decency to inform  minor parties of
this change in the law in timely fashion.  The SOTS sees no legal obligation
to inform other political parties though the mail about this change.  On the
other hand if we miss any cutoff dates for procedures required by law and do
not inform the SOTS or the town clerks about our choices and conventions we
are kept off the ballot. Public disclosure and elementary fairness are not
the present SOTS strong suit. 

Our present SOTS continues to distort the facts in the media over the
required voting audits during this upcoming election and the legislature
during the last session continued to water down these audits that were
placed into the law by VOTER with the passage of the voter paper trail bill
(see the article on this in the upcoming CT Green Times).  Is it any wonder
that the present SOTS also refused to debate the three candidates who ran
against her by not showing up for a SOTS debate in Hartford in 2006.

I guess no news is good news.  But what did you expect in the Constitution
State?

Sincerely,

Mike DeRosa

  _____  

From: CTGP-elections at yahoogroups.com [mailto:CTGP-elections at yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Green Party-CT
Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2007 8:59 AM
To: ctgp-news at ml.greens.org; newhavengreens at yahoogroups.com; HarfordGreens;
ElectionsCTGP; NewLondonG; nectgreens at lists.riseup.net
Subject: [CTGP-elections] (NH Advocate)3rd party cross endoresments "Get The
Party Started"

Thursday, August 09, 2007
Get the Party Started 
A new state law could finally put third parties on the map, and on your
election ballot. 
By Evan Brown 

Imagine seeing Gov. Jodi Rell's name on the Communist Party line on your
election ballot. Or Sen. Chris Dodd on the National Socialist Movement (Nazi
Party) line.

These highly unlikely scenarios are at least theoretically possible under a
new state elections law that allows third parties to cross-endorse
candidates for office without first having to run a candidate for that seat.
Connecticut's election laws presently allow third parties to cross-endorse
major party candidates (meaning that candidate's name appears twice on the
ballot, a distinct advantage) provided that third party ran a candidate for
that seat the prior election and won at least one percent.

But a new law signed July 5 permits third parties to cross-endorse
candidates without first running their own candidate for that seat. The law
has the potential to catapult minor parties, like the Working Families
Party, from bit players to statewide players.

WFP has built its party, in part, on cross-endorsing candidates, and the new
law gives them (and other parties) wide latitude to put their name on state
election ballots without having to run their own candidates.

"We went from being able to cross-endorse in one congressional district to
all five," says Connecticut WFP Executive Director Jon Green. "It enables us
to practice our unusual brand of politics statewide. It means more choices,
and that makes elections more interesting."

Interesting is right. As confirmed by Lou Button, staff attorney for the
Secretary of the State's office, now any party can cross- endorse any
candidate without the candidate's knowledge or approval. Unless specifically
challenged by the candidate, his or her name will show up on the ballot as
the nominee not only for whichever major party is running the candidate, but
also for all the minor parties who cross-endorsed him or her. Herein lies
the potential for mischief-making.

As posited above, Rell could show up on the ballot as a Communist, and Dodd
as the National Socialist Movement's candidate. If the Guns and Dope Party
ever sends out tendrils beyond its California base, perhaps Rob Simmons will
run again. And for that matter, how could Lieberman stand a chance against a
Ned Lamont backed by the Pansexual Peace Party (whose goal is to "promote
positive political progress and the partnership paradigm through prurient
propaganda")?

Though any campaign worth its bumper stickers would catch and ruthlessly
crush such an unauthorized cross-endorsement, it is nice to dream. It is
clear, though, that this new law is a small but real triumph for grassroots
democracy, as well as the plucky folks who run the Thermodynamic Law Party,
which may now see a reason to expand to Connecticut.

Post a Comment 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Tim McKee cell (860) 778-1304 or (860) 643-2282

 National Committee Member of the Green Party(Connecticut)

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