An Independence View

Which War

All you hear today is bring the troops home, redeploy somewhere, etc. But which war? There is the Iraqi war and the war on Terrorism. Which war is the public talking about?
Do we stop the war on Terrorism and pull out of the Middle East? Which candidate is going to speak truthfully about the long “slog” on Terrorism and we will be in the Middle East for a long time.

Independents are Ready for Barack Obama.But is Obama Ready for Black Independents?

“Barack Obama has just made it official. He’s running for president of the United States. His message is that it’s time to put principles ahead of partisanship. Black independents have been acting on that idea for years. How he relates to us is the first real test of his principles”. February 10, 2008 By Lenora Fulani

There is a transition going on in the Black community. We are moving from the Civil Rights Movement generation to the younger generation of independent blacks. All independents are looking for candidates who have independents’ needs as part of their goals. So how does he relate to the younger generation and convince the older generation he has not forgotton them?

The Committee for a Unified Independent Party, Inc. (CUIP)’s Mission Statement, “independents are not “swing voters” who exist to be wooed and swayed by one or the other major party. Independents have strongly held beliefs about how partisanship and ideological labeling are corrupting and constraining progress. Independents defy traditional political labels; what they share is support for the principle that radical structural reform of the electoral process and of government is the urgent political necessity of the day”.

KEY STRUCTURAL POLITICAL REFORMS

Same Day Voter Registration
Voters can register on the same day of an election, helping to increase participation -- especially among young voters. The standard for verification is higher than other forms of registration since one has to provide ID on the spot and proof of residency. Voter turnout in the U.S. is among the lowest in the world. Only 34% of the eligible electorate came to the polls in the 1998 elections. The national average of 36% voter turnout ranks the United States at the bottom of all Western democracies. Voter turnout, for instance, among New York's youngest voters has hit an all-time low -- less than 17% in recent elections. Compare this to states with SDVR where voter turnout has increased participation by upwards of 25%. Minnesota, one of only six states with SDVR, led the nation in 1998 with 60% voter turnout to elect independent Jesse Ventura Governor. Nearly 16% of Minnesotans who voted registered on election day, half of them were people under the age of 25.

Term Limits
This is a powerful tool against Democratic and Republican party incumbency. It would, for instance, limit the terms of Senators and Assembly Members to between 6 and 8 years. It brings an end to life-long career politicians, and allows for citizen-run rather than special interest-run legislatures. It has been supported at levels of up to 70% in elections throughout the 1990s.

Ballot Access
Reforming access to ballot is crucial for greater political participation of eligible voters and candidates in the U.S. For instance, to run for President as an independent candidate for the first time, one needs to gather up to 40 times more signatures that either of the major parties. The ballot access laws should be rewritten to facilitate rather than discourage candidates from running. Petitioning periods need to be lengthened to make it easier for insurgent candidates and independents to qualify for a place on the ballot. Voters should be permitted to sign as many candidate petitions as they desire, and anyone should be able to circulate a petition. One-third of the states do not impose restrictions on who can circulate. However, in states like New York, candidates' families, supporters and friends cannot help them petition if they happen to live in a different district. So, while minor party candidates for statewide office in New York must collect the signatures of 5% of their enrolled voters, Democrats and Republicans need less than .05%. This requirement makes statewide petitioning virtually impossible for minor party candidates.

Initiative & Referenda
Twenty-three states permit citizens to circumvent their legislatures by circulating a petition ("initiative") to place a proposed legislation ("referendum") on the ballot. New York is one of the many states without I&R. The fist step toward I&R would be an amendment to the New York State Constitution. The State Legislature could pass a Constitutional Amendment, but it is unlikely that the bipartisan controlled Legislature would be willing to do this since it would mean jeopardizing their steady flow of special-interest dollars. The alternative is to pass a Constitutional Amendment at a Constitutional Convention. That there will not be one until the year 2017 is an indication of how stifled democracy is in New York.

Non-Partisan Municipal Elections
This eliminates party primaries and increases both participation of candidates and voters, who are exposed to broader range of choices. Major cities, such as Los Angeles and Chicago, already have this reform in place. In fact, over 80% of municipalities in the country with populations of 200,000 or more elect their officials through non-partisan elections. By removing party primaries, non-partisan elections give voters a broader choice of candidates from whom to choose. Non-partisan elections also allow for more meaningful public debate and increase the possibility for innovative policy solutions. Non-partisan elections would also change the character of the legislature for the better, since legislators would be less concerned with crossing their party for fear of retribution if they sought to run for reelection. Finally, non-partisan elections would help foster new citywide coalitions, which would serve to unify cities - not pit groups against each other. Non-partisan elections would therefore offer more options and greater power to voters to decide on policy-making decisions. Expert testimony given to the Charter Revision Commission in New York by Dr. Allan Lichtman, Chairman of the History Department at American University, points to the fallacy of the attacks by those who claim that non-partisan elections discriminate against minority voters. He cites a National League of Cities survey that found that in forty cities with populations of 50,000 or more with elected black mayors, twenty-nine were elected through non-partisan elections. Legislation is also needed to restructure local Boards of Elections to include minor parties and independents, functioning as non-partisan agencies.

Campaign Finance Reform
Campaign finance reform measures are needed that would level the playing field between independents and the major. One way to do this is to tie the acceptance of public financing of campaigns to agreement by the candidates to participate in public debates. Americans should be allowed to direct their own tax dollars to support the development of independent parties. New York City, for instance, has one of the most innovative and successful campaign finance programs in the country. It is a matching fund program, which outlaws corporate contributions and includes an agreement by the candidates to participate in publicly televised debates. It should be adopted by the whole state.

Open and Inclusive Debates
Public debates afford voters an opportunity to learn about their candidates in ways that campaign literature, television ads, radio commercials, and the internet do not. The pseudo-governmental bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates should be abolished in its current in favor of a non-partisan body that sets equitable criteria for the inclusion of candidates at the presidential level. Local non-partisan bodies should also serve to facilitate debates.

These issues are being fought in the States' Legistration and the courts everyday.

Michael H. Drucker
IndependentVoting.org

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