“The United States of America was founded as a great experiment in self-government,” said Chris Edes, Free and Equal New York Caucus Leader, and member of the Occupy Rochester (NY) Electoral Reform Working Group. “We believe the most exciting work remains to be done. We could not be more pleased to see people across this great nation discarding the shackles of apathy, and stepping forward to lead.”

Free & Equal Founder and Chair Christina Tobin added: “As we did two years ago when we began to engage members of the Tea Party, countless numbers of whom have demonstrated true grassroots activism, we now greet the Occupy movement with open arms. We believe in empowering people regardless of ideology or affiliation.”

As part of the outreach effort, Free & Equal will offer to educate activists about reforms such as Instant Runoff Voting, Proportional Representation, Term Limits, Initiative and Referendum, and other avenues of change.

In addition, Free & Equal will be offering advice and assistance to any Occupy group which wishes to run candidates for public office. “It is our hope that the Occupy movement will take their grievances to the ballot box, and hold their leaders accountable,” said Edes. “There are many cynical and unfair barriers which the establishment has put in place, to deny the people access to their ballot. We will help the Occupy movement overcome these barriers.”

Free & Equal does not endorse or favor any specific reform, and does not endorse candidates for public office.

On January 1, 2010, an Alabama bill to open up access to the ballot for independents and third party candidates, lost in committee by one vote. Also, on September 10, 2009, the California State Senate defeated an Instant Runoff Voting bill by one vote.

What if a third party candidate had been on the Alabama committee, or in the California State Senate? One vote could get a candidate elected, who would then be that one vote, which could reform our electoral system, and open the door to more independent and third party candidates. What if it was YOUR one vote? Next time you think your vote doesn’t count, think again. America needs good people to get involved and be active in their government. Democracy can work but it needs more people to get involved.

Also, Richard Winger of Ballot Access News reports that the Fourth Circuit court will hear oral argument in Greene v Bartlett on September 22, which challenges the number of signatures required to get an independent candidate on the ballot for U.S. House, which is 4% of the number of registered voters as of early in the election year. The requirement is so strict, it has never been used by a candidate for U.S. House. North Carolina has had government-printed ballots since 1901 and never has any independent candidate for U.S. House appeared on a government-printed ballot.

A U.S. District Court had upheld the requirement, mentioning that in 2010, it appears that an independent candidate for U.S. House did collect enough signatures to be on the ballot, but then the candidate (who had not initiated the petition drive) refused to run. The SEIU had sponsored that petition drive. No evidence about that petition drive was ever presented as evidence in the case. It is possible the drive cost as much as $100,000, certainly a very high and discriminatory entry barrier for average citizens intending to run for Congress.

Also regarding the California Top Two lawsuit, the scope of the case was potentially expanded on July 18, when a write-in candidate for U.S. House in the July 12 special election, for an office in the 36th district in western Los Angeles County, asked to intervene in the case.

Tea Party candidate Julius Galacki voted for himself, because the ballot contained write-in space, but his vote was not counted because the law implementing the top-two system says write-ins can never be counted in the general election for Congress and partisan state office.

Section 15340 of the California election code guarantees the right to cast a vote for any write-in candidate in any election, stating that

“Each voter is entitled to write the name of any candidate for any public office, including that of President and Vice President of the United States, on the ballot of any election.”

Yet Section 8606, added to the election code by SB6, prohibits the counting of such votes in a general election, stating:

“A person whose name has been written on the ballot as a write-in candidate at the general election for a voter-nominated office shall not be counted.”

So, under California’s Top Two system, you have the right to cast a write-in vote, but the state is prohibited by law from counting it!

Galacki was also critical of the aspect of Top Two allowing only certain recognized parties to appear on the ballot. Currently, Tea Party and all other minor-party candidates are be forced to falsely state on the ballot that they have “No Party Preference”. According to Galacki, “this law creates an inferior, second-class status for anyone from a small party, and that’s truly un-American, unconstitutional and just plain wrong.”

LENOIR (July 26) – House Bill 32, the Electoral Freedom Act of 2011 which passed the NC House of Representatives on June 7, 2011 by a 68-49 vote will finally get a hearing today. The North Carolina ballot access reform bill will be heard in the Rules and Operations of Senate Committee that will meet at 12:00pm in Room 1027 of the North Carolina Legislative Building.

The bill was introduced by Representatives Stephen LaRoque (R-Lenoir), Glen Bradley (R-Youngsville), Paul Leubke (D-Durham) and Jean Farmer-Butterfield (D-Wilson) in February this year coinciding with the formation of the Free the Vote Coalition in support of the measure. If enacted into law House Bill 32 would significantly lower North Carolina’s onerous ballot access restrictions to a level more consistent with democratic ideals.

President and Founder of Free the Vote North Carolina, the North Carolina organization coordinating the effort, Jordon M. Greene, said “The Electoral Freedom Act will bring North Carolina’s ballot access laws down to a more reasonable level that is closer to the vast majority of the other states in the nation.” Green went on to express his gratitude to Senate leadership, “We are grateful that the North Carolina Senate will be taking the bill up and hope they will give the bill a favorable report.”

At the Rules Committee meeting today, bill sponsor Representative Glen Bradley and the sponsor of the former Senate version of the bill Senator Andrew C. Brock (R-Mocksville) will present House Bill 32 to the Committee. It is their hope that the Rules Committee will give the bill a favorable report without amendment and send the bill to a vote on the Senate floor this week before adjournment. The Free the Vote Coalition is asking voters across the state to contact the members of the Rules and Operations of Senate Committee as well as their own State Senator in support of the bill.

North Carolina currently ranks as one of the nation’s most restrictive states in ballot access law, with only California requiring more actual signatures for a new political party to qualify for ballot status than North Carolina.

Not much has been reported, however, from the perspective of electoral reform. To that end, Free & Equal would like to recognize a few of New York’s political “heroes and zeros.”

HERO: State Senator Joseph Robach introduced, and the State Senate passed, a constitutional amendment that would allow New Yorkers to enact and amend laws through initiative and referendum. New York is known for having the country’s most dysfunctional state government, dominated by a few political bosses. Free & Equal congratulates Senator Robach for leading the way in restoring power to the people.

HERO: State Senator Roy McDonald, during a recent announcement that he was changing his vote in favor of same-sex marriage, said in part: “You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, f— it, I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing… I’m tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it.” Free & Equal encourages other political leaders to adopt Senator McDonald’s view of major party politics.

Of course, there were also low points. Free & Equal examines just one.

ZERO: This year’s ethics reform bill makes some positive changes. Yet New York’s political elites couldn’t resist adding one provision that enshrines the Democrats and Republicans in special positions of power. The proposed Joint Commission on Public Ethics would be composed, by law, of only Democrats and Republicans. Governor Cuomo was asked about the role of independents at a recent news conference. “They don’t exist!” was Cuomo’s response, according to the Wall Street Journal, “at which point he and legislative leaders standing beside him broke into a hearty laugh.”

Yes, progress is slow in the Empire State, but the spirit of independence remains alive. According to Free & Equal CIO and New York resident Chris Edes, who also lives in Senator Robach’s district: “New York can work its way back to responsible government, but it will take hard work. Leaders like Senator Robach are stepping up to the plate. When the legislature reconvenes in January, it will be time for New York’s citizens to demand action.”

HB 2009 is a bill which would make it illegal to run for office as an independent candidate, if a person votes in a party primary. Many independents choose to vote in Illinois’ open primary system, a system which has benefited political parties, since independents who vote in a primary are more likely to vote for that party in the general election. HB 2009 would take away their right to run for office as independents.

HB 2854 is a bill that would make it easier to run for office as an independent, especially for lower income candidates who cannot afford litigation. The bill would give candidates two choices for getting on the ballot: either the current system of gathering a very large number of signatures on a petition, often followed by extensive litigation; or a filing fee.

Illinois is one of the most difficult states in the nation for independent candidates. For instance, independents need to collect 25,000 signatures to get on the ballot for Governor, while Democrats and Republicans need only 5,000. If independents manage to do this, extensive challenges and litigation follow, based on obscure rules which are often selectively enforced.

As well as helping those not experienced with “working the system,” HB 2854 would help lower income candidates, as the cost of litigation is almost always higher than the proposed filing fee. The State must also pay employees for petition review and judicial proceedings, whereas filing fees would generate revenue instead.

“HB 2854 is a win-win for everyone except party bosses,” said Christina Tobin, Chair of The Free & Equal Elections Foundation, which recently wrote a letter supporting the bill. “HB 2009 would take away voting rights. Legislators face clear choices, and the people of Illinois are watching.”

In Georgia, as in most other places, the two major parties controlled the offices of government. To the extent that these parties could, within themselves, limit the access of a rising black community to candidacy and thus elected office, they could maintain effective segregation; unless the black community went around the major parties and directly to the ballot. The answer was to institute non-racial but generically anti-independent/anti-alternative party election rules — rules designed to practically limit candidates for office to only those from the Republican and Democratic parties. In 1964, the State of Georgia did just that.

Since 1964, no independent or minor party candidate for Congress has managed to satisfy the Georgia petition requirements for getting on the ballot.

No other state in the nation can claim such an awful legacy.

Nearly five decades later, this is no longer about race. Were we to have a 47-year history of nothing but the best, most honest and incorruptible candidates advance to elected office, such statistics would be moot. Yet that is not the case and cannot be expected.

In the coming weeks, the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State will conduct two public hearings on the issue of election law reform. They are under-publicized and may only be intended to fulfill 2010 campaign promises, made in answer to strong public sentiment regarding the situation. If they receive only limited response and attention, the issue will be deemed “addressed” by those in power and pushed off once again, decades into the future.

Now is the time for you to make a date to personally, physically go and contribute to the fulfillment of America’s promise.

Calm but forceful, passionate but clear, Georgia citizens in large numbers from every social, political and ideological camp, must attend and lend their voice to these meetings.

The first hearing is to be held on Wednesday, April 27 at 10am in Room 341 of the Georgia Capital Building in Atlanta.

The second hearing is in Savannah, Georgia on Wednesday, May 25 at 1pm in the Savannah Marriott Riverfront Hotel, at 100 General McIntosh Boulevard.

Further details and directions are available through the Secretary of State website for the Elections Advisory Council (www.sos.ga.gov/GAEAC/) or by calling (404) 656-4269.

HB1058, introduced earlier this year by Rep. Charles Key, would in its current version reduce the signature collection requirement for forming a new political party to 22,500 signatures. Currently, the requirement is 5% of the total vote cast for Governor in the last election, which in 2012 would result in a requirement of 51,379 signatures. This is more than the 5,000 signatures in Key’s original bill, but would at least eliminate Oklahoma’s poster child status in the electoral dysfunction department.

However, this bill is now stalled in the Senate Rules Committee. This is where the lack of coordination becomes a problem for state legislators. Another bill which would help military service members vote, by moving the primary date from July to June, is now likely to be tossed as unconstitutional by the courts.

The second bill, known as HB1615 or the “Let the Troops Vote Act”, would in the process move the deadline for new political parties from May 1 to March 1 of the election year. Petitioning deadlines that early have been ruled unconstitutional 15 times. Given Oklahoma’s already difficult requirements, without HB1058 to reduce the number of signatures needed, the law stands no chance in court.

“The people of Oklahoma, and the United States, have a right to have their voices heard at the ballot box,” said Micah Gamino of Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform, which supports the bill. “If we won’t support democracy here, how can we claim to be supporting it in Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan?”

Free & Equal finds this an apt observation. “State legislators are putting the voting rights of active duty service members in jeopardy, just because they’re getting cold feet about opening up the ballot to competition,” Free & Equal founder and chair Christina Tobin said in a statement. “This is unacceptable.”

Supporters of HB1058 are being asked to contact the members of the Senate Rules Committee as soon as possible, to let them know that HB1058 must pass as it currently stands to restore the right to vote of every Oklahoma voter. Also be sure to contact the Rules Committee Chairman, Senator Rob Johnson, at (405) 521-5592 and Vice-Chairman, Senator Jonathan Nichols, at (405) 521-5535 to urge them to take action on HB1058.

I have included information on looking up bills online, as well as links to find contact information for your State Senator and Assemblyperson. The State Senate website allows you to look up your State Senator using your address. The Assembly page is more rudimentary — you enter your ZIP code, and then are presented with a list of people who might be your Assemblyperson.

Bill search: http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menuf.cgi
Contact your Assemblyperson: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
Contact your State Senator: http://www.nysenate.gov/

The bills in question are:

A582 – Instant Runoff Voting for NYC, replaces run-off, saves money spent on second round.

A2939 – Would reduce signature requirements by half for designating and nominating petitions.

A3664 – Reduces number of signatures required for a nominating petition for Congressional districts to 2000 from 3500.

S421 / A6398 – Would let any city or county use IRV for local elections, for both primary and general elections.

S2602 – Establishes standard of substantial compliance with election law provisions relating to nomination and designation of candidates for public office; so as to avoid the disqualification of candidates to the maximum extent feasible where there is no fraud.

Please help support this important legislation. No one should be kicked off the ballot over a technicality. Signature requirements are too high, particularly for independent nominating petitions in Congressional districts. This limits competition, which always results in an inferior product.

Instant Runoff Voting would eliminate the “lesser of two evils” conundrum. With IRV, you rank candidates in order of preference. If no one gains a majority (not a plurality) on the first round, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated — those voters who chose this candidate have their second choices substituted. Then the votes are counted again. So on until a majority winner emerges.

Not only would S421 / A3698 encourage people to vote third party, without fearing a wasted vote. You could also rank your preference in a primary, so many principled candidates could run without fear of hurting each other. IRV is the way to “let the best person win”. IRV also means candidates are less likely to “go negative” because they can still be a voter’s second choice — so why alienate another candidate’s supporters?

“Whether by initiative, or through their duly elected state representatives, the people of these states have chosen to allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes,” said Free & Equal founder and president Christina Tobin. “It is incumbent on the unelected federal bureaucracy to recognize the right of the people to manage their own affairs.”

Federal bureaucrats conducted these raids despite President Obama’s promise not to interfere with the right of the states to regulate themselves in this area, and Attorney General Eric Holder’s October 2009 memo determining that prosecution of people legitimately using medical marijuana is “unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources.”

The raids were widely seen as an attempt to influence pending state legislation regarding the use of medical marijuana. Kris Hermes, spokesman for Americans for Safe Access, said the raids resulted from public officials “not getting their way and sidestepping the democratic process.” Tom Daubert, a leading advocate of medical marijuana, said the raids represented “interference by the federal government in Montana decision-making.”

Free & Equal calls on federal agencies to honor their duty and follow the expressed policy of President Obama and Attorney General Holder, and to respect the right of the people to govern themselves under our federal system of democracy.

On March 16, Nebraska became the first state this year to enact ballot access reform, according to Richard Winger’s Ballot Access News, eliminating “the county distribution requirement for statewide non-presidential independent candidate petitions,” when Governor Dave Heineman signed LB 399 into law.

Three days later, Senate Bill 403, the New Mexico omnibus election law bill passed the New Mexico Senate unanimously after being passed by the House with a unanimous vote. The bill contains provisions to extend the petition deadline for independent candidates by three weeks, and lower the petition signature requirement for new parties in mid-term election years.

In Illinois, Rep. Jim Watson (R-Jacksonville) introduced House Bill 2854, to allow candidates to pay a filing fee in place of Illinois’ discriminatory petitioning requirements, “[helping] Illinois in this time of financial crisis, while opening up the electoral process,” according to Christina Tobin, founder of the Free & Equal Elections Foundation, which is backing the bill. Free & Equal held a press conference recently with former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, to highlight the national character of these reforms.

Moving east, the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition is working with Rep. Eugene DePasquale (D-York) and Senator Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon) to push for passage of the Voters’ Choice Act (Senate Bill 21). The bill would lower the threshold for new parties to become recognized for the ballot, and reduce the number of signatures required for independent candidates.

In North Carolina, State Reps Stephen LaRoque (R-Lenoir), Glen Bradley (R-Youngsville), Paul Leubke (D-Durham) and Jean Farmer-Butterfield (D-Wilson) introduced the Electoral Freedom Act (House Bill 32) in early February. The Free the Vote Coalition, composed of fifteen organizations including Free the Vote North Carolina, the Free & Equal Elections Foundation, FairVote Action, the John Locke Foundation and Democracy North Carolina, are actively lobbying for the bill’s passage. State Senators Andrew C. Brock (R-Mocksville) and Eleanor Kinnaird (D-Chapel Hill) introduced Senate Bill 225, a companion bill, in the NC Senate in early March.

Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform (OBAR) is working with Rep. Charles Key (R-Oklahoma City) to promote House Bill 1058, which would cut the signature requirement for new political parties in half. The bill calls for a 22,500 signature requirement, rather than the current requirement of 5% of votes cast in the last statewide election.

In Alabama, an organization called Independent Alabama is backing a ballot access reform effort, while Marylanders4Democracy is pressing the issue in Maryland. The New Hampshire Libertarian Party is backing a ballot access reform bill in their state. Other states with pending ballot access legislation are Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Maine, Missouri, New York and Tennessee.

Christina Tobin of the Free & Equal Elections Foundation stated, “this is the largest number of states pursuing ballot access reform in over a decade. This is a sign that people are waking up, and demanding their right to vote for the candidate of their choice. We’re pleased with the number and quality of the legislation being introduced, and look forward to better government from the coming elections as a result.”

Watch a video of the press conference here:

Free & Equal will hold a press conference with Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson to support HB2854, a bill in the Illinois legislature which would allow filing fees as an alternative to the petition process.

The press conference will take place on Thursday, March 24th at 10:45am CST, at Free & Equal’s Chicago office at 407 S. Dearborn St., Suite 1170. There will be a live feed of this press conference at www.freeandequal.org .

HB2854 would generate revenue for Illinois, as opposed to the current system of petition reviews at taxpayer expense. Taxpayers United of America, one of the largest taxpayer organizations in MidAmerica, has endorsed the bill, which has also generated strong interest amongst Tea Party groups in Illinois.

Gary Johnson served as Governor of New Mexico for two terms, from 1995 to 2002. During his tenure, he vetoed more bills than the other 49 governors combined — 750 in total. Johnson also vetoed thousands of “line items” to reduce wasteful spending, cut taxes 14 times, and saw New Mexico’s GDP increase almost 30 percent during his tenure. When he left office, New Mexico had a balanced budget and a $1 billion surplus. He is considered a strong contender for the Republican Presidential nomination. Johnson will have a message to deliver to Illinois state legislators regarding this bill.

Gov. Gary Johnson is currently the honorary chairman of the OUR America Initiative, a policy advocacy committee that promotes fiscal responsibility, civil liberties, and rational public policy. Perhaps Illinois’ legislators can learn some fiscal responsibility from Governor Johnson.

In California, a political party can be officially recognized, and allowed to appear on the ballot, if it has enough registered voters. According to election law expert Richard Winger, “no party has used this method for getting on the ballot in the last 50 years without paying canvassers to get out on the street and persuade voters to change their registration.”

Ironically, Proposition 14, also known as the Top Two Primary, narrowly passed after a huge investment of corporate money. Prop 14 eliminated the easiest way for small political parties to get on the ballot — getting at least 2% of the vote for a statewide office in a general election. Prop 14 requires all candidates to compete in a single primary, with only the top two voter getters proceeding to the general election. Since the top two for statewide office are always Democrats and Republicans, this cuts third parties out of the process.

“After closing off one avenue for participation by passing legislation to put Prop 14 on the ballot, now the California legislature is conducting an all-out assault on democracy, trying to shut out third parties every way possible,” said Free & Equal President Christina Tobin. “Should disenfranchised voters turn to initiative or referendum as an alternative, the legislature would close the ballot to that avenue as well.”

The California legislature has passed similar bills twice before, in 2006 and 2009, which were vetoed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

CHICAGO (Feb. 21) – Today, State Representative Jim Watson (R-97, Jacksonville) introduced House Bill 2854, a ballot access reform bill for Illinois elections. HB2854, originally proposed by the Free & Equal Elections Foundation, would allow candidates for public office an alternative to Illinois’ unequal and burdensome signature requirements by paying a filing fee in its place.

The bill would allow candidates to pay a filing fee equal to 1% of the annual salary of the office sought in lieu of gathering signatures. Illinois requirements for independent candidates are in many cases a great deal more restrictive than they are for political party candidates, effectively preventing independents from getting on the ballot. HB2854 would make the requirements equal for independents and recognized party candidates, so that Illinois voters have a choice.

According to ballot access expert Richard Winger, if the bill were to pass, Illinois would join Louisiana, Florida, and Oklahoma in allowing certain candidates to pay a filing fee in lieu of the petition requirement.

“Currently, Illinois’ ballot access laws disadvantage independent candidates by requiring them to obtain hundreds and even tens of thousands more signatures than their Republican and Democratic counterparts,” said Christina Tobin, founder and chair of the Free & Equal Elections Foundation. “A filing fee option will put independent candidates on a more equal footing.”

The filing fee option would also save the state money, by bringing in additional revenue through the filing fees, in addition to reducing the amount of time the state has to pay employees to verify signatures. According to Ms. Tobin, “the filing fee option will help Illinois in this time of fiscal crisis, while also opening up the electoral process to more choices and new ideas, producing more competitive elections and better government.”

If passed, the bill would open Illinois elections, improving democracy for Illinois voters, and saving Illinois residents millions of tax dollars.

You can find the proposed language on our website, as well as charts showing signature and filing fee requirements for statewide office in all 50 states, for both primary and general elections. A majority of states use filing fees for primary elections.

Christina Tobin, founder and chair of Free and Equal Elections Foundation, is scheduled to speak about the bill to the Chicago Bar Association’s Election Law Committee on January 14.

The proposed bill, if passed, would open Illinois elections, improve democracy for Illinois voters, and save Illinoisans millions of dollars. Details of the bill, as well as charts showing other states that have implemented this policy, will be revealed at the press conference.

Christina Tobin, founder and chair of Free and Equal Elections Foundation, will speak in support of the bill to allow all Illinois candidates the option of paying a filing fee to get on the ballot, in lieu of signature collection. She is also scheduled to speak about the bill to the Chicago Bar Association’s Election Law Committee on January 14.

“The proposed bill would be a huge win for Illinois voters and taxpayers,” stated Christina Tobin, founder and chair of Free and Equal. “It eliminates costly paperwork, streamlines electoral processes, and generates revenue for the state.”

Free & Equal has identified both Democratic and Republican sponsors for such a bill in the Illinois state legislature. Christina will also be speaking to the Chicago Bar Association about the bill, at the invitation of their Election Law Committee Chair. Eleven states currently allow the use of filing fees in lieu of signatures.

Christina was quoted today in the Chicago Sun Times regarding filing fees, and reports of corruption and fraud in the petition process for Chicago’s mayoral election.

Also at the press conference will be Jim Tobin, who will speak about his experience running for Governor in 1998, when he collected over 63,000 signatures, but failed to gain access to the ballot. Jim Tobin is Christina’s father.

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP); National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML); Eric Garris, founder and director of AntiWar.com; Honorable Judge Jim Gray; Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico and honorary chairman of OurAmericaInitiative.com; Wayne Allen Root, 2008 Libertarian vice presidential nominee; U.S. Senate candidates for Connecticut: John Mertens of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party, and Warren Mosler, independent; Illinois gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney of the Green Party; U.S. Senate candidates for Illinois: LeAlan Jones of the Green Party and Mike Labno of the Libertarian Party, said they agree with the coalition that, the passage of Proposition 19 is a vital step towards ending the War on Drugs, bringing peace and safety back to our neighborhoods, and producing an extra revenue source for struggling businesses in California.

The new signatories join the Green Party of California, Peace and Freedom Party of California, Republican Liberty Caucus of California (RLCCA), Progressive Libertarian Caucus, National Black Police Association, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), The Free and Equal Elections Foundation and Hempire Media, all of whom joined the coalition last week.

Further, a number of signatories agreed:

“The Republican and Democratic Parties have sided against the people by failing to endorse Proposition 19. This historic proposition, if passed, would allow possession of up to an ounce of cannabis for adults 21 and over in California, for personal consumption, and in turn, would allow for the taxing and controlling of cannabis, similar to alcohol and tobacco, thus allowing all Californians and small businesses across this state the right to realize the potential of Cannabis, California’s number one cash crop.

“We ask that voters join us, as well as police officers, cancer patients, teachers, doctors, judges, nurses, journalists, students and everyone else across California to tell our government that we demand an end to prohibition of cannabis because it simply doesn’t work. Our prisons are bursting at the seams with cannabis arrests, which now comprise more than 50% of all drug arrests nationwide.

“We strongly urge California voters to legalize this herb in California by voting YES on Prop 19 this November. Together we can make our streets freer, smarter and safer.”

Mark Hinkle, Libertarian National Committee chair; Mike Feinstein, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States; C.T. Weber, state chairperson of Peace and Freedom Party of California and candidate for lieutenant governor of California; Laura Wells, Green Party candidate for governor of California; Carlos Alvarez, Peace and Freedom Party candidate for governor of California; Ann Menasche, Green Party candidate for California Secretary of State; Christina Tobin, Libertarian candidate for California Secretary of State and founder and chair of The Free and Equal Elections Foundation; Lex Green, Libertarian candidate for governor of Illinois; Todd McCormick, founder of Hempire Media; and Mark Seidenberg, vice chairman of the American Independent Party State Central Committee.

“The policy of Marijuana Prohibition has not only failed, it’s hopeless,” Judge Gray said. “As just an example, marijuana today is California’s largest cash crop – all untaxed, by the way – and it is more available for children than a six-pack of beer.  Proposition 19 certainly will work better than that.  In fact, things can only get better than they are today.”

“California has the potential to start the domino effect in this country that will lead to bringing about rational drug policy nationwide.  Proposition 19 can be the beginning. With just a little bit of education and awareness I see people moving on this issue everyday,” Johnson said. “Let’s make it happen. Tax it, regulate it and control it. Let’s stop this needless war that is making criminals out of otherwise tax paying, law-abiding citizens.”

“The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) supports Free & Equal Elections’ efforts … to address the American hemisphere’s elephant in the room: the failure of cannabis and drug prohibition and the destabilizing effects on the hemisphere’s economies and democracies,” said Allen St. Pierre, executive director, NORML. “Clearly elected policy makers do not possess the will or want, to address the many problems created by government abdication of regulating and taxing adult commerce like cannabis, and they often look to the general public and the stakeholder community to create alternatives to failed and tax-draining public policies that do not achieve even the government’s minimum stated goals.”

“It is great to be part of this diverse coalition in support of ending marijuana prohibition in this country. The people are ahead of our nation’s ruling class on this issue, and that is reflected in the support from these groups, which are dedicated to ideas, not beholden to special interests. We look forward to working with this coalition in the future as we bypass elected officials and enact laws to tax and regulate marijuana though the ballot initiative process,” said Steve Fox, Director of Government Relations, Marijuana Policy Project.