Local elections should be open to partisan and non-partisan candidates. The party organization should bear sole responsibility for the cost and logistics of selecting/determining their slate (EG: primaries). Since the poll offered all/nothing responses, I did not participate.
A non-partisan election would be a step in the right direction. It seems to me that people tend to be more interested in someones party affiliation than the issues the candidate proposes. Sure the parties are great for fund raising, but they're the original special interest groups. What ever happened to elected officials representing the needs and wishes of the people who elected them in the first place. I'm not accusing the elected officials in Batavia of dereliction. I'm just making a point about politics in general. As an elected official you should not be beholden to any political party over your constituents.
It's like they don't keep score at a "T" ball game,but every kid knows what team has more runs. Like the voting public wouldn't know what party backed what candidate.
It would force people to pay attention instead of just voting "d" or "r" ... it would open the door wider to third-party candidates, especially if ballot access rules were eliminated.
Dave, you really don't think that parties really care if the public has a choice, do you? What they want is to overwhelm the opposing party so bad, the other side doesn't even run a candidate. A primary is the worst thing for the establishment, it breaks party unity and causes infighting. They want to cut their deals in the back room where they chose their shoe in candidate or puppets.
The two party system only works when there is a close balance. Once one party dominates, check your pockets, you just got robbed.
No, Charlie I don't think they care. It does seem as it's all about winning not good government. I'd like to see the 2 party system blown up. I'm just saying that if there were open non-partisan ballots, a party could run 3 or 4 candidates and increase the chances of winning. It was pointed out in a comment above that it wouldn't be much of a secret what party a candidate is with. I believe that it will cause people to learn more about the candidates and maybe step out of their boxes instead of straight line voting and knowing nothing about the candidate other than this is the party's guy. Howard is right, the petition requirements and the automatic ballot slots need to be eliminated.
Local elections should be
Local elections should be open to partisan and non-partisan candidates. The party organization should bear sole responsibility for the cost and logistics of selecting/determining their slate (EG: primaries). Since the poll offered all/nothing responses, I did not participate.
A non-partisan election would
A non-partisan election would mean no party affiliation listed on the ballot. You can't stop parties from backing candidates.
You'd think the parties would
You'd think the parties would be supportive, it could give them more than one candidate on a ballot.
A non-partisan election would
A non-partisan election would be a step in the right direction. It seems to me that people tend to be more interested in someones party affiliation than the issues the candidate proposes. Sure the parties are great for fund raising, but they're the original special interest groups. What ever happened to elected officials representing the needs and wishes of the people who elected them in the first place. I'm not accusing the elected officials in Batavia of dereliction. I'm just making a point about politics in general. As an elected official you should not be beholden to any political party over your constituents.
It's like they don't keep
It's like they don't keep score at a "T" ball game,but every kid knows what team has more runs. Like the voting public wouldn't know what party backed what candidate.
It would force people to pay
It would force people to pay attention instead of just voting "d" or "r" ... it would open the door wider to third-party candidates, especially if ballot access rules were eliminated.
I love the idea of no party.
I love the idea of no party. Lets start voting for people and not parties...
I agree Robert.
I agree Robert.
Dave, you really don't think
Dave, you really don't think that parties really care if the public has a choice, do you? What they want is to overwhelm the opposing party so bad, the other side doesn't even run a candidate. A primary is the worst thing for the establishment, it breaks party unity and causes infighting. They want to cut their deals in the back room where they chose their shoe in candidate or puppets.
The two party system only works when there is a close balance. Once one party dominates, check your pockets, you just got robbed.
No, Charlie I don't think
No, Charlie I don't think they care. It does seem as it's all about winning not good government. I'd like to see the 2 party system blown up. I'm just saying that if there were open non-partisan ballots, a party could run 3 or 4 candidates and increase the chances of winning. It was pointed out in a comment above that it wouldn't be much of a secret what party a candidate is with. I believe that it will cause people to learn more about the candidates and maybe step out of their boxes instead of straight line voting and knowing nothing about the candidate other than this is the party's guy. Howard is right, the petition requirements and the automatic ballot slots need to be eliminated.
I spoke with one of the local
I spoke with one of the local party bigwigs yesterday and he didn't reject the idea outright.
Then he said, "but wouldn't that destroy the two party system?"
I smiled broadly and said, "Yup. That's the idea."
My friends Matt Welch and
My friends Matt Welch and Nick Gillespie talk about their new book, Declaration of Independents, on John Stossel's show.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aor8-6Uq4J8]
I smiled broadly and said,
I smiled broadly and said, "Yup. That's the idea."
Why Howard, you heretic..