South Dakota House Bill 1182 Unfair to Independent Candidates

Why are counties not in planning districts? (LETTER Rapid City Journal by Kim Wright, South Dakota Voice of Independents, Rapid City)
House Bill 1182 unfair to independent candidates
House Bill 1182 seeks to revise the filing deadline for the nomination of certain independent candidates. The proposed revision reduces the timeline for independent candidates to circulate nomination petitions for public office.

When Rep. Mark Kirkeby introduced this bill in the House State Affairs Committee, he explained that there is a growing number of South Dakota voters registering as Independent. This is a national trend.
Currently the percent of registered independent voters exceeds the percent of voters registered with either of the major parties.

When asked his rationale for introducing this bill limiting the time frame for independent candidates to collect signatures, secure campaign resources and engage voters, Rep. Kirkeby responded that it was an issue of “fairness.”

I did not have an opportunity to ask for clarification of “fair.” If considering the concept of fairness, I would ask Rep. Kirkeby: Is it fair that Independent candidates must collect considerably more signatures than their major party opponents in order to seek public office? How fair is it that registered Independent voters are denied the right to vote in primary elections?

I would suggest that the rationale for HB 1182 is much more about maintaining political party control than about equitable opportunities.

Kim Wright, South Dakota Voice of Independents
Rapid City

South Dakota Legislature Kills Open Primary Bill

South Dakota Voice of Independents founder Kim Wright emailed last week: As you know SB175 was sent to the senate floor last week in SD only to be completely ignored--no need for debate, bill declared dead.


History of bill in committee here

Text of bill here
Introduced by: Senators Adelstein, Cutler, Holien, and Lederman and Representative Venner

 FOR AN ACT ENTITLED, An Act to provide for the participation of independent voters in primary elections.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA:
    Section 1. That § 12-6-2612-6-26 be amended to read as follows:
    12-6-26. If a person is registered as a member of a political party in the precinct in which the person seeks to vote, the person may vote that party's ballot at any primary election. If a person is registered to vote with no party affiliation in the precinct in which that person seeks to vote, the person may vote a single party ballot of that person's choice at any primary election.
    Section 2. That § 12-19-2.6 be amended to read as follows:
    12-19-2.6. If an absentee voter in a primary election is registered as an independent and is eligible to vote more than one ballot style pursuant to § 12-6-26, the voter may specify the voter's ballot style preference on the absentee ballot application. If no ballot style is designated, the absentee voter shall be provided a nonpolitical ballot.
    If an absentee voter in a primary election is registered as an independent and is only eligible to vote one ballot style, the absentee voter shall be provided that ballot style. If more than one ballot style is available and no nonpolitical ballot is available and the absentee voter does not designate the ballot style to be received, no ballot may be provided to the absentee voter.

Also read here

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 9/22/10

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Values the Key to the Independent Vote (By Heather Higgins, National Review/The Corner) Asked on what issue the current Democratic leadership’s actions have been most dismaying, the economy and job creation (22 percent) rank first, followed by the health-care legislation (17 percent).
• Loyalties shift in vote-rich suburbs (By Philip Rucker, Washington Post) In 2008, independent voters went for Barack Obama over John McCain 52 percent to 44 percent...
• More registering nonpartisan in Neb. 2nd District (Associated Press, Columbus Telegram - Nebraska) More than one in five registered voters in the 2nd District are not affiliated with a party. Independent voters in the district have increased by nearly 10,000 since 2006 to more than 82,600 by mid-September _ a 13 percent jump.
• Independent voters need to save us (LETTER Payson Roundup - AZ) Since those of us that are registered as Independent voters aren’t beholden to party doctrine, dogma, or propaganda, it behooves the increasing percentage of Independents in our state to save Arizona from the political swamp we seem to be wallowing in at this point in time.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Primary system here worked as it should (By Bill Christofferson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) The open primary was one of the progressive reforms of Fighting Bob La Follette a century ago, designed to let the voters choose the nominees, rather than have the party bosses decide in a caucus, convention or back room.

THIRD PARTY

• EARLY ON, MICHAEL BLOOMBERG TOPS LIST OF POTENTIAL INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN 2012 (by Ryan Jaroncyk, CAIVN) Bloomberg is viewed as a viable candidate due to his immense personal wealth and his reputation for working with Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
• Ohio governor race: independent candidate Dennis Spisak (BY HOWARD WILKINSON, Bucyrus Telegraph Forum) Spisak, the Green Party's candidate for Ohio governor, is president of the Struthers City Board of Education, in a small Mahoning County city near the Pennsylvania border.
• Rancher seeks Independent path to governor (RUFFIN PREVOST BillingsGazette Wyoming Bureau) Write-in candidate “And you can’t come to the Constitution without coming to the Lord,” he said. “They’re not separate. You have to be a moral, Christian society for the Constitution to work.”

COLORADO

• Riddle to press lawsuit after defeat - Law limits per-person donations to $200 for unaffiliated campaign (by Joe Hanel, Durango Herald Denver Bureau) It could be six to eight months before the case moves forward, Zimsky said. Brimmer might send legal questions to the state Supreme Court.

SOUTH DAKOTA

• Tea party unlike true independents (Kim Wright, Rapid City Journal) The independent movement should not be confused with the tea party Movement although the members of both groups are unhappy with the two major parties. Independents are those voters who do not support a political party and seek to restructure the partisan political system. With a broad spectrum of Americans at the base, independents wish to reorganize the status quo and reform the partisan political practices. Independents use political alliances to support candidates who represent main stream America. NOTE: Kim Wright chairs SD Voice of Independents and can be reached at sdindvoice@gmail.com.

NEW YORK

• Minor Parties Challenge 'Fusion Voting' in NY (By JEFF D. GORMAN, Courthouse News Service) The problem, according to the parties, is that double votes for a candidate are credited to the party that gained the most votes in the previous election.
• Andrew Cuomo Looks to Abraham Lincoln for Campaign Strategy (NY Magazine/Daily Intel) Cuomo would prefer to debate Paladino and Conservative Party nominee Rick Lazio, but reportedly believes that Paladino wants the debate to include City Councilman Charles Barron, running on the liberal but anti-Democrat "Freedom Party" line, and Kristin Davis, the Client 9–linked madam running on the "Anti-Prohibition Party" (as in, marijuana) line.
• Ex-Madam Kristin Davis Wants To Debate Cuomo, Paladino (Gothamist) Davis, whose platform includes both legalizing prostitution and legalizing marijuana, said that City Councilman Charles Barron, who is running as a Freedom Party candidate, should be able to debate, too, "Excluding blacks and women just because we lack access to huge special interest campaign contributions is just wrong. I favor letting all legal candidates debate." NOTE: Pictures are worth a thousand words! (She just might get my vote...)
• Randy Credico Expects to Sue Over New York Fusion Restriction (Ballot Access News) Randy Credico has been nominated for U.S. Senate, full term, by both the Libertarian Party, and the Anti-Prohibition Party.  But the State Board of Elections has told him his name can be listed only once on the ballot, and that he must choose one line.

Neo-Independent: Is this the Rainbow We've Been Waiting For?

Spring/Summer Issue of The-Neo Independent is now out.

The only magazine written by and for independent voters.

E D I T O R ’ S N O T E
The culture of the independent movement has not
permeated the American mainstream in the way, for
example, that SpongeBob or Brangelina have. Not
to worry. Avant-garde theatre, music and fashion first
appear in out-of-the-way performance spaces or on
the streets, often taking decades to filter through to
Broadway or Dancing with the Stars. Likewise, the independent movement is creating its own outside-thebox
culture in a variety of venues as we develop into a
mainstream force.

There is probably no more edgy American political/
cultural performance than wearing a tee shirt. We
had some great ones this political season. In South
Dakota, which held one of the final primaries in the
Democratic line-up, independents were barred from
voting but wanted to make a point. Kim Wright of
South Dakota Voice of Independents and family
members put their plight out there in plain English.

And at the start of the primary season, before a single
vote had been cast, independent Lenora Fulani
raised questions about the black political establishment’s
wholesale backing of Hillary Clinton without
a public debate on the Obama option, asking “Who
Decided Hillary is Best for the Black Community?” She
put her question on a bright yellow tee that became a
bestselling item from Harlem to Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Today it’s a collector’s item.

And then there were the awards ceremonies. No red
carpets and flashbulbs, but Robert Sullentrup of
Missouri and Larry Reinsch of Iowa, both co-founders
of Rock the Debates, received Anti-Corruption
Awards at an event sponsored by the Independence
Party of New York City that was packed with independents.
And in the publishing world, launch parties
are a must. We had one for the last issue of the Neo –
where contributing writer Matt Meiners and I posed
for photos with a portrait of our first president.

Hope you enjoy this issue. We independents are
grappling with the best ways to exercise our developing
power and we’re having a good time doing it…

Jacqueline Salit

The Oklahoma 3: The right to petition our government

The video at the top of The Hankster is Paul Jacob talking about the indictment of three organizers of an Oklahoma state-wide citizen initiative. “This prosecution will have a chilling effect on those petition rights of the folks who live in this state and, through spreading fear, perhaps on the rights of citizens all over the country…"

Kim Wright, spokesperson for Oklahoma Independent Voters, called the prosecution an attempt to intimidate voters from exercising their right to petition their government.

“The initiative process provides ordinary citizens, regardless of political party, the opportunity to bring issues to the voters, issues that legislators might not be willing to support or pursue,” said Wright.

h/t Third Party Watch

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OKLAHOMA INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Three indicted TABOR petitioners make their 1st court appearance (by Marie Price, The Journal Record) Kim Wright, with Oklahoma Independent Voters, said prosecution of the “Oklahoma 3” intimidates voters from exercising their right to petition their government.
• Independent voters can't vote in primary (Sequoyah County Times)

CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• California’s Unaffiliated Voters Are Sometimes Unreachable (By JENNIFER STEINHAUER, NY Times)
• Thousands switch or join parties ahead of primary (By Craig Gustafson, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE)
• McCain, Clinton have big leads in California (By Cathleen Decker, Los Angeles Times)
• Yes, You Can... Vote for President in California! (Rick Jacobs, Huffington Post)
• Term limits debate heated by Prop. 93 (By Bill Hoban INDEX-TRIBUNE, Sonoma News) * McCain, Clinton lead in California (CNN Political Ticker)

FLORIDA INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Without independents, will McCain, Obama falter? (BY REID J. EPSTEIN, Newsday)
• Independent Voters (WMBB - Gulf Coast West FL)
• More than 44,000 Florida voters switch parties (Tampa Bay Local News 10)
• GOP race in Florida is Romney vs. McCain-The two candidates are running neck and neck before the Republican primary Tuesday. (By Linda Feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor)
• GOP candidates look for Florida win (By From Wire Reports, The State)
• More Floridians shun major political parties (WWSB ABC 7 Florida, Associated Press)
• Florida voters show growing independent streak-More voters are registering, but they are increasingly turning away from the major parties. (Mark Schlueb, Sun Sentinel)

COLORADO INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Poll: Colo. independents siding with Dems (UPI)

MISSOURI INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• McCain and Clinton top choices among Missouri voters (By The Associated Press, Columbia Missourian)

SOUTH CAROLINA INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Who Voted for Obama? (WLTX S.C.)

IOWA INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Changes in the [partisan voter registration] cards (by TIM JAMISON, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)

THE CAMPAIGN

• Sharpton On Bill Clinton: "It's Time For Him To Just Be Quiet" (Huffington Post VIDEO from The View)
• The Inconvenience of Democracy (Deepak Chopra, Huffington Post)
• Reclaiming the Notion of a “First Black President” (Monique W. Morris)

Missouri independent leader Kim Wright speaks out on SB 409

An Independent Response to Proposed Senate Bill 409

by Kim Wright

Is anyone surprised that Senator Gary Nodler, with the support of Senator Delbert Scott, has introduced legislation to change the election process for independent candidates in Missouri? Senate Bill 409 would require that any person considering a non-partisan run for office file a written declaration of intent to run prior to the primary election. While this legislation may seem benign, it will make a big difference.

In 1976, a three-judge U. S. District Court struck down Missouri’s old law that said independent candidates petitions were due in April. So why now would Mr. Nodler want to require a Declaration of Intent well before the primary or general election?

Independent candidates offer voters a choice. This new bill will significantly restrict voters’ choices in future elections. When one party candidate is running unopposed by another party candidate, voters are not afforded a voice. An unopposed candidate does not have to present a political platform, nor does he (she) have to listen to or even represent voters. As voters we generally support the candidate whose values parallel our own. Should that candidate be defeated in the primary election, an Independent candidate with similar values might provide a better choice than the competing Democrat or Republican.

Independents do not have the status or support of an organized party. Often independent candidates choose to run at the request of local voters who want a voice in their government. Sometimes they run in response to having undesirable candidates in the two major parties. Senate Bill 409 will likely limit voter choices in upcoming elections.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, 42% of Americans are identifying themselves as independents. This must be alarming to both political parties. In November election, there were 20,198 voters in District 32 and 27,128 voters in District 28 who cast ballots for independent candidates. These voters would not have had that option had SB 409 been in place. I can think of only two people who wish this bill had been introduced in 2004.


This bill goes to the Senate Finance and Government Organization and Elections Committee (Delbert Scott, Chair on Monday, February 12th. Perhaps Mr. Nodler has a good explanation for “why now?”. I plan to call him (573-751-2306 ) to ask. I hope you will call, too.