{news} Proposed agenda for 1-8-08 SCC meeting of CTGP at Portland's Senior Center

[David Bedell]

I cannot make it to Tuesday's State Central Committee meeting, but could we add the Presidential nominating petition to the agenda?  The application form is now available from the Secy of the State's office (http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/Elecform.html ), and the sooner we get the petitioning underway, the easier it will be to meet the August deadline.

Cliff Thornton has volunteered to be a placeholder candidate for President.  The SotS lawyers have confirmed that placeholders, like real candidates on a ticket, must conform to the Constitutional requirement that President and Vice President be from different states.  Greg Gerritt, Secretary of the Rhode Island Greens and Co-Chair of the GPUS Presidential Campaign Support Committee, has agreed to stand as our placeholder for VP.

We should ask Cliff and Greg to go on record that they will sign over their ballot line to the final nominated candidates as determined at the Green national convention in July.  To avoid any possible disputes, Cliff and Greg must agree to subordinate their personal preferences to the national consensus of the Green Party.

We also need 7 Presidential Elector candidates (representing CT's 7 electoral votes).  Ten people have volunteered (see below). The SCC should select 7 names to put on the petition.  We should take into consideration geographic diversity (at least one in each of the 5 Congressional Districts?) and gender diversity (give preference to women Electors if the Prez and VP placeholders are both men?).  However, as a practical consideration, it may be better to select 7 people present at Tuesday's meeting, who can sign the application immediately.  Each Elector will have to sign the Statement of Consent (page 2 of the application), and their respective Town Clerks will have to sign a copy of the verification page (page 3).

Volunteers for Presidential Elector:

Barbara Barry, Wethersfield
Mike DeRosa, Wethersfield
Ed Dubrule, West Hartford
Richard Duffee, Stamford
Ralph Ferrucci, New Haven
Justine McCabe, New Milford
Tim McKee, Manchester
Karin Norton, Willington
Charlie Pillsbury, New Haven
Ronna Stuller, New London

The only duties of Electors is registering their names on the petition.  In the unlikely event the Green candidate wins CT, then the Electors have to meet and cast their Electoral College votes for the Green candidate.

Someone (perhaps Tim or Mike?) should take responsibility for collecting all the necessary signatures and addresses on the application, and submitting it to the SotS.

(Procedural note:  technically, this petition application does not require approval of the SCC.  In theory, any group of Greens could circulate a petition, and there could be two or more petitions circulated simultaneously, e.g., one by Nader supporters and another by McKinney supporters.  For the sake of efficiency, though, it is better for the party to cooperate on one presidential ballot drive and agree on one set of placeholders and Electors.)


David Bedell

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