Elections are, in theory, all about representative democracy. One person, one vote! Every vote counts! The people have spoken! All of which is absolutely true.
But...
The actual process of "assembling" an election is probably not as clear, clean or inclusive as most people imagine. There are barriers for some built into the system, which means there are also built in advantages for others.
Case in point: I am going to be running for County Commissioner as an independent. That is to say, as an unaffiliated candidate, not as a candidate for the Independent Party. That is something else entirely. I really have to run as an independent, because it's true to who I am as a person. I also very much believe that, at this point in our history, political parties are more part of the problem than they are part of the solution.
Human beings are so good at finding ways for there to always be "others," to build barriers between groups and individuals, no matter how unproductive that may be. I have had enough of the "us" and the "them," thank you very much. I think we'd be a healthier society with more choices, not fewer, and if we focused more on the person and their policies rather than their political party.
In my case, had I decided to run as a Democrat or a Republican, I would just have had to pay a $50 filing fee, and I'd be off and running. That's it. I'd be allowed to participate in the primary campaign, raise and spend funds, appear at debates, etc. That's because, as things currently stand, only Democrats and Republicans can participate in the primary.
I think you can see how that winnows things down from the start. And gives those candidates a head start, to say the least. Mind you, the defense of this set-up is that it allows members of those parties to decide who their candidate in the general election will be. Of course, it's very common to have a primary with only one candidate from each party on the ballot, which, gee, kind of calls the whole "deciding" thing into question, doesn't it? Still, that's their story, and the Dems and Reps are sticking to it - freedom of choice (and association) be damned.
What about the Greens, and the Libertarians, and all those "third party" parties? Well, they are "allowed" to have their "conventions" after the primary, and nominate candidates. Notice though, that they have to wait until after the primary to do so. Never mind that third parties might have multiple candidates for one office. They're supposed to hash that out themselves, at their "convention." This set-up, of course, also excludes the general public from the process, and limits people's choices and ability to choose their elected representatives. This late-in-the-game process also helps keep minor parties minor, by diminishing them in the eyes of many voters.
Then we come to the true independent...As such, I am also excluded from the primary campaign, and am required to gather nearly 500 signatures of registered voters in Benton County just to get on the ballot. Needless to say, it would be a lot easier and faster to just be able to pay fifty bucks, eh? (Especially since, realistically, you need to collect a lot more than the minimum number required, since some percentage will get invalidated for any number of reasons.)
But the process of gathering signatures is going very well. Most people I have approached have been very nice, and supportive of broadening the choices put before voters. Today we attended the MLK events at OSU, and gathered a bunch of signatures, and had some nice interactions with people. Earlier this weekend, we went out to dinner with the local vegan dining group, and got some more signatures there. While some of the vegan folks were signing up, a couple at a neighboring table interjected, and asked what we were doing. When they found out what it was all about, they just had one question: "You're not a Republican, are you?" When I told them no, they were happy to sign up.
It was an unexpected, completely random, and very nice exchange. So thanks to everyone who has signed my candidate signature sheet so far, with a special shout out to Lindsey and Tom. As for everyone else out there, that next knock on your door may be me, clipboard in hand.
But...
The actual process of "assembling" an election is probably not as clear, clean or inclusive as most people imagine. There are barriers for some built into the system, which means there are also built in advantages for others.
Case in point: I am going to be running for County Commissioner as an independent. That is to say, as an unaffiliated candidate, not as a candidate for the Independent Party. That is something else entirely. I really have to run as an independent, because it's true to who I am as a person. I also very much believe that, at this point in our history, political parties are more part of the problem than they are part of the solution.
Human beings are so good at finding ways for there to always be "others," to build barriers between groups and individuals, no matter how unproductive that may be. I have had enough of the "us" and the "them," thank you very much. I think we'd be a healthier society with more choices, not fewer, and if we focused more on the person and their policies rather than their political party.
In my case, had I decided to run as a Democrat or a Republican, I would just have had to pay a $50 filing fee, and I'd be off and running. That's it. I'd be allowed to participate in the primary campaign, raise and spend funds, appear at debates, etc. That's because, as things currently stand, only Democrats and Republicans can participate in the primary.
I think you can see how that winnows things down from the start. And gives those candidates a head start, to say the least. Mind you, the defense of this set-up is that it allows members of those parties to decide who their candidate in the general election will be. Of course, it's very common to have a primary with only one candidate from each party on the ballot, which, gee, kind of calls the whole "deciding" thing into question, doesn't it? Still, that's their story, and the Dems and Reps are sticking to it - freedom of choice (and association) be damned.
What about the Greens, and the Libertarians, and all those "third party" parties? Well, they are "allowed" to have their "conventions" after the primary, and nominate candidates. Notice though, that they have to wait until after the primary to do so. Never mind that third parties might have multiple candidates for one office. They're supposed to hash that out themselves, at their "convention." This set-up, of course, also excludes the general public from the process, and limits people's choices and ability to choose their elected representatives. This late-in-the-game process also helps keep minor parties minor, by diminishing them in the eyes of many voters.
Then we come to the true independent...As such, I am also excluded from the primary campaign, and am required to gather nearly 500 signatures of registered voters in Benton County just to get on the ballot. Needless to say, it would be a lot easier and faster to just be able to pay fifty bucks, eh? (Especially since, realistically, you need to collect a lot more than the minimum number required, since some percentage will get invalidated for any number of reasons.)
But the process of gathering signatures is going very well. Most people I have approached have been very nice, and supportive of broadening the choices put before voters. Today we attended the MLK events at OSU, and gathered a bunch of signatures, and had some nice interactions with people. Earlier this weekend, we went out to dinner with the local vegan dining group, and got some more signatures there. While some of the vegan folks were signing up, a couple at a neighboring table interjected, and asked what we were doing. When they found out what it was all about, they just had one question: "You're not a Republican, are you?" When I told them no, they were happy to sign up.
It was an unexpected, completely random, and very nice exchange. So thanks to everyone who has signed my candidate signature sheet so far, with a special shout out to Lindsey and Tom. As for everyone else out there, that next knock on your door may be me, clipboard in hand.
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