From: bam@bnlux1.bnl.gov (Bruce A. Martin)
Subject: Re: LIBERTARIAN - TRUE GRASSROOTS EFFORT
Organization: (none)
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 23:00:22 GMT

In article <l8j6ntINN1kv@spim.mips.com> mpolen@gelato.mips.com (Michael Polen) writes:
>Michael Lee) writes:
.......[[[Sorry, attributions seem to have been omitted.  ]]]
.......[[[I don't know who said what.]....
>|> Here's an interesting fact or two:
>|> 
>|> It is extremely difficult for third parties and independents to get on
>|> the ballot.
>|> 
>|> The Republicrats (or is is Demopublicans?) like it that way.
>|> 
>|> ...[Comparison of Perot and Libertarian petition drives deleted.]...
>|> 
>This is an assumption it is easy for the Republicans or Democrats to get
>on the ballot.  Wrong.  The rules are the same.
NOT WRONG!  The rules are NOT the same!
It is much easier for Rems and Deps to get on the ballot!!!

Many states have laws which require 3rd parties to do things which
Dems & Reps are not required to do.  

I can only tell you in detail about New York, but there are similarly-bad
ballot restrictions in many other states (including posting of bonds, etc.).

In New York, the established "ballot" parties are automatically on the ballot 
for statewide office if they hold a convention, but non-ballot parties must 
obtain tens of thousands of signatures to get their candidates on ballot.  
(This is very costly in terms of both dollars and volunteer effort, 
and saps resources for the campaigns.)

For local races, the officially-recognized parties only need to file petitions 
with 5% of their enrolled membership, while unrecognized parties must meet 
different requirements (e.g. 1500 for Assembly, 3500 for each House seat).

Official parties get free use of the Board of Elections to register party
affiliation.  Unrecognized parties cannot register members, except as "blank".

Official parties can have primaries (with Board of Election paying postage to
notifiy all registered members).  Unrecognized parties cannot have primaries.

The two biggest parties (in Gubernatorial vote), i.e. Dem & Rep each appoint
Commissioners and staff of the Boards of Elections all over the state.
Unrecognized (and small, but recognized) parties have no say in how the
two major parties staff and run the Boards of Elections which decide 
voting issues, whether to provide information, etc.  (In NY, the laws
about how the Boards are run are very loose, and control by the party
hacks is very tight.)  

Think about having political parties staff and control the Boards of Elections,
which set the rules, count the votes,  and talk to the press.  With political 
parties in charge of official election apparatus, who needs a KGB?   1/2 :-)
________________

>|> The Republicrats (or is is Demopublicans?) like it that way.

Actually, its "Demoblicans" and "Repucrats".

IMO, One "pub" is enough.  The embedded word "mob" is appropriate, 
and the other word hints of reputation or disrepute (or is it "puke"?).

bam@bnl.gov (Bruce A. Martin)     /|\Master of the Tripods of Hephaestus./|\  
[My opinions are my property, belong to me only, and represent no one else!]
# include discaimers.h            /***** Marrou/Lord in '92 *****/
# delete BUSHLIPS,SlickWillie     /***** CALL 800-682-1776  *****/
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