“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.

Rochester Tea Party leader Chris Edes issued a formal statement today, demanding Mayor Richards cease arresting Occupy Rochester protesters immediately.

“If we allow Mayor Richards to violate the First Amendment rights of the Occupy Rochester protesters, what is to prevent him from doing it to the Tea Party?” said Edes.

“The purpose of the law requiring city parks to close at 11pm is to deter crime. When dealing with First Amendment issues, the government must use the least restrictive means possible to achieve their goals. Requiring everyone to leave is clearly not the least restrictive means, even if the Mayor could point to specific instances of crime, which so far he has not. Mayor Richards’ actions are unconstitutional and if necessary, he will be held accountable in a court of law.”

Edes also noted that the Tea Party shares some common goals with the Occupy Wall Street movement. “It is the Federal Reserve, along with the banks and investment firms, and their lackeys in government, which created our economic crisis. This is becoming increasingly obvious to Americans of all political persuasions. It is shameful that Mayor Richards believes he can stifle the peaceful expression of outrage over this fact.”

Edes plans to join this afternoon’s march on City Hall, demanding that Richards cease his unlawful activity.

After the first round, if no single candidate has a majority of “first choice” votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is dropped, and the dropped candidate’s “second choice” votes are substituted (since the “first choice” i.e. that candidate has been dropped). This process is repeated until a single candidate has a majority. Thus, the “lesser of two evils” problem is eliminated and democracy thrives anew.

The following is reproduced with permission from the Californians for Electoral Reform website. See the original at:

http://cfer.org/outreach/pressreleaseSept2011.pdf

***

Second poll confirms Ron Paul strength among California Republican Delegates, lack of willingness of Ron Paul supporters to consider other candidates

An official “straw poll” released by the California Republican Party on September 17 showed U.S. Representative Ron Paul of Texas an overwhelming winner 44.9% support with in a crowded field of presidential candidates. That percentage was echoed with 45.8% of first place votes in a simultaneous survey taken by nonpartisan Californians for Electoral Reform (CfER).

The CfER poll shows a closer race for second place among California GOP activists, with 16.2% of first place votes for Rick Perry and 13.2% for Mitt Romney, compared with 29.3% and 8.8% respectively in the official straw poll. Michele Bachmann placed fourth with 7.2% (versus 7.7% in the straw poll), Newt Gingrich was fifth with 3.9%, Rick Santorum was sixth with 3%. Tied for seventh place with 2.4% each were Herman Cain and write-in candidate Sarah Palin. Seven other candidates shared the remaining six percent of first place votes.

What makes the CfER survey interesting is that participants were asked to rank as many candidates as they wanted, putting the number “1″ by their first choice, “2″ by their second favorite, and so on. Ranked Choice Ballots give each respondent the opportunity to express who they favor most and who else they are willing to accept in a fallback position.

Among the 76 GOP activists who ranked Ron Paul number one in the survey, 25 declined declined to mark a second choice, nearly one-third of those voting. The 91 ballots showing other first-choice candidates had only 3 GOP voters declining to make a second choice. This indicates a strong dedication of Ron Paul supporters for their candidate. Of 51 Paul supporters marking a second choice, 28 (54.9%) went to former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson.

ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS OF
REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL SURVEY
Conducted at California State Convention, September 16-17, 2011

In this survey, 167 ballots were collected and tallied. 84 votes (the whole number of ballots larger than fifty percent) are required for a majority of the votes cast. Only number “1″ choices are counted in the first round. If no majority is achieved, the lowest ranked candidate(s) is/are eliminated in the next round, and each ballot is transferred to the next preference of each individual voter whose earlier choices had been eliminated. Only the highest ranking still active on any ballot is counted in any given round. To learn more about Ranked Choice Ballots, see www.cfer.org or www.fairvote.org

ROUND ONE
All number “1″ votes were counted with subsequent numbers ignored on this round. All ballots bearing just “X” or check marks were counted as a single vote shared fractionally by all candidates so marked. Tally shows votes in the following amounts: Ron Paul 76.5, Rick Perry 27, Mitt Romney 22, Michele Bachman 12, Newt Gingrich 6.5, Rick Santorum 5, Herman Cain 4, Sarah Palin (write-in) 4, Jon Huntsman 2, Gary Johnson 2, Fred Karger (write-in) 2, and with one vote each, write-ins Chris Christie, Jim DeMint, Rudy Guliani, and Alan Keyes. Ballot listed candidates Thad McCotter and Buddy Roemer received no first place votes.

ROUND TWO
Candidates Christie, DeMint, Guliani, Keyes, McCotter and Roemer were eliminated and b allots transferred to the second choice of each voter for eliminated candidates. Candidates Bachmann, Huntsman and Perry each pick up one vote, with one ballot exhausted (showing no further valid choices).

ROUND THREE
Candidates Johnson and Karger (lowest remaining with 2 votes each) eliminated. Candidates Huntsman and Paul each pick up two votes. Count now stands at: Ron Paul 78.5, Rick Perry 28, Mitt Romney 22, Michele Bachman 13, Newt Gingrich 6.5, Jon Huntsman 5, Rick Santorum 5, Herman Cain 4, Sarah Palin (write-in) 4, exhausted ballots 1.

ROUND FOUR
Candidates Cain and Palin (lowest remaining with 4 votes each) eliminated. Candidate Bachmann picks up 4 votes, while Gingrich and Paul each pick up one vote, and 2 ballots are exhausted. Count now stands at: Ron Paul 79.5, Rick Perry 28, Mitt Romney 22, Michele Bachman 17, Newt Gingrich 7.5, Jon Huntsman 5, Rick Santorum 5, exhausted ballots 3.

ROUND FIVE
Candidates Huntsman and Santorum (lowest remaining with 5 votes each) eliminated. Candidate Perry picks up 3 votes, Gingrich and Romney 2 each, with one vote each for Bachmann and Paul. One ballot is exhausted. Count now stands at: Ron Paul 80.5, Rick Perry 31, Mitt Romney 24, Michele Bachman 18, Newt Gingrich 9.5, exhausted ballots 4.

ROUND SIX
Candidate Gingrich (lowest remaining with 9.5 votes) is eliminated. Candidate Romney picks up 5.5 votes, Perry 2, with one each going to Bachmann and Paul. Count now stands at: Ron Paul 81.5, Rick Perry 33, Mitt Romney 29.5, Michele Bachman 19, exhausted ballots 4.

ROUND SEVEN
Candidate Bachmann (lowest remaining with 19 votes) is eliminated. Candidate Perry picks up 7 votes, Paul 3 and Romney one vote. Eight ballots are exhausted. The final count stands at: Ron Paul 84.5, Rick Perry 40, Mitt Romney 30.5, exhausted ballots 12.

ROUND EIGHT
Having surpassed the majority threshold of 84 votes, U.S. Representative RON PAUL of Texas is declared the winner of this survey.

RANKED CHOICE BALLOTS

Used in several countries, and in many organizations (including by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to choose the Oscar winner for Best Picture), there are numerous names for Ranked Choice Ballots. They include Alternative Vote, Enumerated Ballots, the Hare System, Instant Runoff Voting, Preference or Preferential Voting, and the Single Transferable Vote.

When only one candidate is to be selected, this vote-counting system requires that the winner achieve at least 50% of the vote from the active ballots. Usually that means a majority among the most popular candidates remaining after elimination of less popular candidates have been made in earlier rounds.
To learn more about Ranked Choice Ballots, see www.cfer.org or www.fairvote.org

Californians for Electoral Reform

CfER is a nonpartisan civic group which promotes only two reforms: use of Ranked Choice Ballots and Proportional Representation.

New York City – Free & Equal will Co-Host Liberty Fest NYC this Saturday, September 10, from 5pm-11pm at the Club Amnesia, on 609 West 29th Street in New York City.

Liberty Fest NYC brings activists, authors, bloggers, artists and musicians from different political backgrounds and parts of the country together to celebrate the cause of Liberty. The event has drawn an impressive roster of speakers, including NY Times best-selling author and Senior Fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, Tom Woods. Other speakers include philosopher Stefan Molyneux; singer/songwriter Jordan Page; Scott Horton of antiwar.com, Andrew Schiff, Director of Communications and Marketing for Euro Pacific Capital, Kevin Zeese, Executive Director of Voters For Peace, former Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack; Free & Equal Founder and President Christina Tobin; former Congressional candidate Adam Kokesh; Gary Franchi, founder of the RTR.org social network; and 2012 Libertarian Presidential Candidate, RJ Harris, among others.

LibertyFest NYC is being sponsored by The Free & Equal Elections Foundation, Taxpayers United of America, the Manhattan Libertarian Party, the Free State Project, Voters For Peace, Antiwar.com, the Republican Liberty Caucus, Liberty-Candidates.org, Restore the Republic, DB Capitol Strategies, Freedomain Radio, Patriot Polls, and TruthSquad.TV.

“This year’s LibertyFest provides a great opportunity for people from many political backgrounds to exchange ideas and discover common ground,” Free & Equal Founder and President Christina Tobin said. “Free & Equal is proud to be a part of it.”

Tickets, info and sponsorship & vending opportunities are available at http://LFNYC.com.

“LibertyFest is a building of coalitions from the entire spectrum of the liberty movement. We must come together if we are going to bring liberty back to our country. What better way to start rebuilding than to begin at the place where liberty was lost as we come together to bring it back on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 ,” says Gigi Bowman, co-organizer of LibertyFest and founder of Liberty-Candidates.org.

The event has drawn an impressive roster of speakers, including NY Times best-selling author and Senior Fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, Tom Woods. Other speakers include voluntaryist philosopher, Stefan Molyneux – former Arizona Sheriff, Richard Mack – former Congressional candidate,  Adam Kokesh – Gary Franchi, founder of the RTR.org social network – and 2012 Libertarian Presidential Candidate, RJ Harris. In addition, many current and former candidates from Liberty-Candidates.org will be speaking and celebrating the launch of the first official book from the same organization, titled: How to Run for Office on a Liberty Platform.

This event is truly drawing people from all arenas, as stated by co-organizer, Ian Cioffi, “LibertyFest NYC is about bringing people from various political views together, under one roof, to discuss what we can agree on, and how to build from there. It’s an event for people who understand that both parties are to blame, and how we can go about fixing our broken political system.”

Co-organizer, Amanda Trbovich adds, “LibertyFest is about coming together and working with one another. We all have such different viewpoints and we all think very critically – not everyone is going to agree and that is healthy, it keeps us vigilant, as we were meant to be. This event celebrates the differences in the Liberty Movement and invites everyone to come together to share ideas on the best way to preserve our inherent human freedoms.”

Book signings, Liberty themed music & clothing, precious metals by Del Valley Silver and much more will be available in the vendor loft.

“We will be honoring 9/11 heroes and victims, discussing philosophy, debating solutions to national political and economic challenges and having a great time while doing it!” said co-organizer Danny Panzella.

LibertyFest NYC is being held at Club Amnesia: 609 West 29th Street New York, NY 10001 from 5:00 – 11:00 PM on September 10^th, 2011. Organized and hosted on a grass-roots level by Liberty Activists: Danny Panzella (TruthSquad.tv), Gigi Bowman (Liberty-Candidates.org), Ian Cioffi (PatriotPolls.com), Amanda Trbovich (Trbobitch.com) and Christina Tobin (FreeandEqual.org). Sponsored and Co-Hosted by: The Free & Equal Elections Foundation - a non-partisan, non-profit public policy advocacy group dedicated to election reform and improving ballot access laws in the United States. Tickets, info and sponsorship & vending opportunities are available at http://LFNYC.com.

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.”

Tim Mullen’s nominating papers in jeopardy for lack of response

Wilkes-Barre, PA—Lou Jasikoff, Chair for the Pennsylvania Libertarian Party, blasted both Leonard Piazza–Director of Elections for Luzerne County—and the Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation in Harrisburg (BCEL) for foot dragging. Neither has given a written clarification and explanation as to what nominating papers the Libertarian Party should have been using prior to May 24th 2011, the date Luzerne County certified the 2010 election and the Libertarian Party as a minor political party in Luzerne County.

This saga began on March 1, 2011, when Betsy Summers and Brian Bergman–representing the Libertarian Party–met with Mr. Piazza in his office to determine what nominating papers should be used by Tim Mullen and other Libertarian candidates prior to collecting signatures to ensure ballot placement in November. Originally Mr. Piazza instructed both Ms. Summers and Mr. Bergman to use “political body” nominating papers. At that time, Ms. Summers pointed out to Mr. Piazza that the Libertarian Party qualified as a minor political party in Luzerne County because of the vote totals both she and Mr. Mullen received in the 2010 election. Mr. Piazza agreed and instructed both Ms. Summers and Brian Bergman that the Libertarian Party should then use “minor political party” nominating papers to gather signatures. What Mr. Piazza forgot to mention to Ms. Summers and Mr. Bergman is that Luzerne County certified the election two weeks prior on February 15th 2011 and the Libertarian Party was not included in that certification. Mr. Piazza’s error was corrected on May 24th when Luzerne County amended its certification to include the Libertarian Party.

On May 16th, the day before primary day, Jasikoff was informed from the BCEL that Luzerne County had still not certified the Libertarian Party as a minor political party. What was more disturbing was the information received from the BCEL that until the county does certify, any signatures collected on minor political party petitions would be subject to challenge and would most likely not stand up to a court challenge. On May 17th, primary day and the best day to collect signatures, Jasikoff personally met with Mr. Piazza and Neil O’Donnell, Solicitor for Luzerne County Board of Elections at the elections office. Jasikoff recounts, “Mr. Piazza assured me that this was ‘just a clerical error and he would go to court to defend the Libertarian Party in any court proceeding that might occur because of the error.’” On May 24, 2011 Luzerne County certified the Libertarian Party as a minor political party in Luzerne County.

Since May 17th Jasikoff states that he has made three requests that both Mr. Piazza and the BCEL state in writing what their positions are as it relates to signatures gathered prior to May 24th. Republicans and Democrats needed 250 signatures to qualify for the Luzerne County Council ballot in November, Libertarians and Independents need 995. Tim Mullen has over 700 signatures dated prior to May 24th.

Jasikoff then reviewed the situation: “Certain facts remain. Both the Democrat and Republican parties do not want competition. It is in their parties’ best interest–not the citizens of Luzerne County’s best interest — to exclude as many people from the ballot as possible in November. Because voter intent does not count when it relates to collecting signatures for Independents in Pennsylvania, because Pennsylvania is the only state in the United States where only judges validate signatures, because Pennsylvania was only one of five states that did not have a third party on its statewide ballot this past year, and because both the Democrat and Republican parties now use ‘economic intimidation’ to threaten candidates from participating in the electoral process, it is imperative that Independents gather double the required amount of signatures to ensure ballot access in November.”

Every day that goes by increases the uncertainty as to how many additional signatures Mr. Mullen will need to ensure his inclusion on the November ballot. Does he need an additional 2000 to make this happen or is the 700 already collected valid? The Libertarian Party is demanding a written explanation and clarification from both the Luzerne County Board of Elections and BCEL on the validity of signatures gathered prior to May 24, 2011.

“July 4th is Independence Day. We have men and women fighting and dying in all parts of the world to ensure democracy and free and equal elections in far away places,” Jasikoff remarked. “Yet right here in Pennsylvania Independents must fight antiquated laws and political chicanery to enjoy the same in our own backyard.”

Jasikoff concluded, “This July 4th, in Kirby Park, the Libertarian Party along with the Green Party and Independents will be conducting a massive signature gathering effort to place people on the ballot. We will be encouraging anyone looking to run this November to join our efforts. Only through competition in politics will we ever break the back on this ongoing corruption that is so prevalent in our society today. Our political system is akin to a rotten barrel of apples, taking a few rotten ones out and replacing them with a few good ones will not get rid of the stench. The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania encourages everyone to get involved, run for office.”

As former Republican Chair for Cumberland County, Stabile had previously praised GOP actions to remove Green, Libertarian and Tea Party candidates from the ballot. He said: “I am very pleased to report to you that challenges to the Green, Tea Party, and Libertarian candidates for state-wide office have been successful and these third party candidates will not be appearing on the November ballot.”

Pennsylvania Libertarian Party Chair Lou Jasikoff asserted last week that Stabile was biased, and unfit to hold judicial office. According to Jasikoff, “being a party partisan should not be the qualification for a Superior Court Judge.”

Jasikoff also took issue with Stabile’s assertion that “voters do not get disenfranchised when fraud is uncovered.” According to Jasikoff, over 2,000 signatures were challenged because the person collecting them used “Betsy” instead of “Elisabeth” when signing her name. Some of the other challenges included the use of two digit years in dates instead of four digits, or voters who signed where they should print their names and vice-versa.

According to Jasikoff, lawyers for the Republican Party gave Libertarian candidates a choice: drop out now or face fines personally of over $100,000 if the challenges prove successful.

Election law expert Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News, said that Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania are the only three states “which permit candidates to challenge their opponents’ petitions on the basis of technical defects,” and that Pennsylvania was the only state in which candidates could face personal bankruptcy.

Christina Tobin, President of The Free and Equal Elections Foundation, said that “Victor Stabile appears more concerned with partisan politics, than he is with upholding his oath to the Pennsylvania Constitution.”

The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania states that “Elections shall be free and equal; and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage.”

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.”

Phil Moffett and John T. Kemper III, Republican candidates for Governor and Auditor, respectively, had signed a petition which would allow Libertarian Party candidate for State Treasurer Ken Moellman a place on the ballot.

Republicans and Democrats do not need to collect signatures to appear on the ballot, but other parties must under Kentucky state law. “I don’t think that’s the right thing to do,” Moffett said. “We’re all Kentuckians. We’re all citizens. And we should all have equal access.”

Kentucky GOP Chair Steve Robertson has threatened to have both candidates removed from the ballot if they win the primary, using a provision of Kentucky election law. Candidates for election in a primary must sign a statement saying they “intend to support its principles and policies” of their party. Robertson alleges that signing a petition allowing another candidate to run for office violates this oath.

If upheld by the courts, his challenge would enable the second-place finisher to take the nomination. Should Moffett or Kemper win, the likely runners up would be candidates favored by party leaders such as Robertson.

“When it comes to competition, Mr. Robertson’s views appear closer to Karl Marx than Adam Smith,” said Free & Equal chair Christina Tobin. “How ironic that he would cite the principles of the Republican Party, while opposing a free market in ideas.”

Among the speakers will be nationally known former Sheriff Richard Mack, 2004 Presidential candidate Michael Badnarik, Free & Equal Chair and founder Christina Tobin, and Free & Equal Kentucky caucus leader Ginny Saville.

In addition to their usual presentations on the meaning and practical effect of the Constitution, Mack and Badnarik are discussing the recent allegations from all sides of the political spectrum that the DEA is abusing its powers, using novel interpretations of its authority or in defiance of orders.

Along with their standard presentation, Mack and Badnarik will discuss the controversy surrounding recent DEA actions, which are being criticized on all sides of the political spectrum as abusive.

On March 15, the DEA seized chemicals necessary for lethal injection, a backdoor way to prevent states from implementing the death penalty. Free & Equal previously reported on the DEA’s attempts to undermine state medical marijuana laws in Montana.

Sheriff Mack will discuss the implications this conflict between federal and state law has for local law enforcement. Michael Badnarik will discuss the historical and constitutional relationship between federal government and the states.

“The issue of using the federal bureaucracy to oppose the actions of elected representatives deserves discussion,” said Free & Equal founder and chair Christina Tobin. “Are we accumulating too much power in places voters can’t reach?”

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.

“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.

New York is one of three states, the others being Illinois and Pennsylvania, where challenging an opponent’s petitions has become a commonplace practice. Politicians find it easier to knock their opponents off the ballot, than to win the favor of voters with ideas.

As happens all too often, all independent nominating petitions were invalidated by challenges. In New York officially recognized parties need to collect zero signatures in a special election, so three candidates will appear on the ballot: Green Party candidate Alex White, Democratic Party candidate Tom Richards, and Working Families Party candidate William Johnson.

Johnson attempted to also secure an independent line, but failed when Nichole Malec, an aide for Tom Richards’ campaign, successfully filed objections to more than 700 signatures on Johnson’s petitions.

Another candidate with strong community support, Ann Lewis, managed to collect almost 1,900 signatures in two weeks in the middle of February. Johnson campaign manager Mitch Rowe filed objections to Lewis’ petitions, leaving her with only 1,009 out of the 1,500 necessary to secure an independent line.

Alex White, who was knocked off the ballot for Mayor in 2009, leaving the race uncontested, did not challenge anyone and offered to help Lewis defend her petitions. When asked why he chose to do so, White said: “If my experience in this election has proven anything, it is that more voices produce better elections. To unnecessarily restrict people’s choices in elections grievously hurts our society.”

Free & Equal salutes Alex White for being the only candidate on the ballot in this race to respect the principles of democracy.

“If this had been a normal election with six weeks to gather signatures, or if a primary had been allowed with its smaller 1,000 signature requirement, none of these challenges would have succeeded. Only due to New York’s unfair special election law was this possible. Shame on Richards and Johnson for their undemocratic actions and their dissembling on this issue,” said Free & Equal Founder and President Christina Tobin.