Federal Judge Halts Greenville SC Republican Attacks Open Primaries: Victory for African American and Independent Voters

Independent voters need to be aware of the mounting attacks -- and increasing successes -- regarding open primary legislation that might include the 40% of Americans who are not allowed to vote in state primary elections.

“The common interest between African American and independent voters is becoming pivotal in the next wave of voting rights struggles in America.”- Jacqueline Salit

  

For Immediate Release from independentvoting.org:  August 21, 2013

Contact:  Sarah Lyons / 212-962-1824

via email 8/26/13

IndependentVoting.org, a national association of independent voters and a defender of South Carolina’s open primary system, hailed a federal court judge’s ruling in Spartanburg today that the Greenville Republican Party did not have standing to sue to close the South Carolina primaries.  In June, the State Republican Party withdrew from the lawsuit leaving the Greenville GOP as the sole plaintiff in the case which has been pending since 2010. 

IndependentVoting.org and a coalition of defendant/intervenors argued that without the state Republican Party’s involvement, the Greenville plaintiffs did not have standing.  Judge Mary G. Lewis agreed and granted the motion to dismiss. 

 

Catch Lenora Fulani here on nonpartisan elections

Harry Kresky, Esq., who appeared with local counsel Fletcher N. Smith, argued the standing issue on behalf of the intervenors and said, “Today’s ruling was a setback for the Greenville faction of the South Carolina Republican Party which hoped to use the court to strengthen its influence in the state party.  The voters would have paid a price.”  

Jacqueline Salit, president of IndependentVoting.org which assembled the defendant/intervenor coalition said, “Political crossfire inside the Republican Party gave rise to this lawsuit but African American and independent voters would have been the big losers if the primaries had been closed as a result.” 

State Representative Joe Neal, part of the defendant/intervenor coalition added, “Today the South Carolina federal court has upheld the rights of voters in South Carolina, especially the minority community, to free and unfettered access to the polls.” 

Salit added “The common interest between African American and independent voters is becoming pivotal in the next wave of voting rights struggles in America.” 

In addition to IndependentVoting.org, the coalition of defendant/intervenors included: thirteen members of the South Carolina Black Legislative Caucus, the South Carolina Independence Party, the Progressive Network, the Constitution Party and the Columbia Tea Party. 

“South Carolinians have always been fiercely independent.  As an intervenor, I am proud that we stopped the Republican Party from closing our state's primary elections,” stated Wayne Griffin chair of the South Carolina Independence Party.

Florida Independent Voting.org Fights for Top 2 Open Primaries to Include Independent Voters

Voter groups look to open political primaries in Florida

By Marianela Toledo  /   August 26, 2013  /

By Marianela Toledo | Florida Watchdog
MIAMI — Florida Independent Voting.Org wants to change the way political party primaries are conducted in the Sunshine State.

Florida and 18 other states have closed primary. That means only people registered with a political party may cast ballots in primary elections, where party candidates are chosen for the general election. But FIV says that locks out 40 percent of voters from the primary process.


The group is promoting its ‘Top 2 Open Primaries’ that seeks to “put the power back into the hands of voters instead of political parties.”

Read more at Florida Watchdog.org

Read about Florida Independent Voting.org

Commission on Election Administration to Hear From Independent Pennsylvanians September 4

Independent Voters to Testify at Philadelphia Public Hearings.

By Barbara Patrizzi on 08/23/2013 at IVN

Sign the Letter to President Obama's Commission here

Independent Pennsylvanians,  part of the national IndependentVoting.org network, will be on hand to testify at the upcoming public hearing of President Obama’s Commission on Election Administration. The hearings will  take place in Philadelphia, on  September 4th, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, rooms 102 and 103. The 10-member commission is tasked with presenting recommendations to the president about how to “improve the voting experience."

The Commission has already held public hearings in DC, Florida, and Denver, where representatives of independent voter groups from Virginia, New York and Florida submitted testimony. Independent voters have a lot to say about electoral reform, and are taking advantage of  this opportunity to voice these concerns to the bi-partisan commission, despite the narrow agenda that has been set forth for the hearings. [read more here]

Rev Al Sharpton: Celebrate Progress, Challenges Remain

Al Sharpton: A new battle in 2013

Al Sharpton 11:49 p.m. EDT August 23, 2013

Recent court rulings show need to march on Washington again.

(Photo: Win McNamee, Getty Images)

When I hear people discuss the civil rights movement, I often pause to listen. No matter how well they may know the history of non-violent marches, Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership, segregation, police brutality, boycotts, water hoses, bulldogs and more, they often speak of the struggle in a past tense. It's as if the fight for equality is somehow over and Dr. King's dream fully realized.
Though black people may no longer be forced to drink from separate water fountains or sit at the back of the bus, justice across all levels of society has yet to be fulfilled. I often say that we have much to

Al Sharpton: A new battle in 2013

Al Sharpton 11:49 p.m. EDT August 23, 2013

Recent court rulings show need to march on Washington again.

(Photo: Win McNamee, Getty Images)

From USA Today:


When I hear people discuss the civil rights movement, I often pause to listen. No matter how well they may know the history of non-violent marches, Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership, segregation, police brutality, boycotts, water hoses, bulldogs and more, they often speak of the struggle in a past tense. It's as if the fight for equality is somehow over and Dr. King's dream fully realized.
Though black people may no longer be forced to drink from separate water fountains or sit at the back of the bus, justice across all levels of society has yet to be fulfilled. I often say that we have much to celebrate in terms of progress, but more challenges remain for us and for the generation that follows.

Utah Policy: Independent Voters Think Congress Doesn't Deserve a Vacation

This in from Utah Policy (where political junkies get their daily fix...) quoting The Hill:

Congress is away from Washington on their Summer recess, but most voters think they don't deserve to take a break.
The Hill highlights a Fox News poll that finds 82% of voters think Congress hasn't "worked hard enough" to take a vacation.

Those numbers hold across party lines. 13% of Republicans and 17% of Democrats think Congress needs time off. Only 10% of independent voters think Congress is deserving of a vacation.

President Obama gets a little more slack for being away from D.C. (read more)

Un Forum Auspiciado Por Asociación de Bodegueros e Hispano a Través de América.

Adolfo Carrión Jr., de origen Puertorriqueño,  quien abandono el partido demócrata para explorar una carrera a la alcaldía como una organización independiente,  se desempeño durante seis años y medio como presidente del condado del Bronx (leer mas)

Adolfo Carrion mejor para la comunidad latina y todos los Neyorquinos!!

Los dos candidatos latinos, el independiente Adolfo Carrión y el reverendo demócrata Erik Salgado, el único que se dirigió al auditorio durante unos minutos en español, apelaron constantemente a su experiencia personal para erigirse como el aspirante que mejor representa a la comunidad hispana. (leer mas) 

Proximo Alcalde Podria Ser Latino

Muy lindo de que el proximo Alcalde sea latino y un orgullo. Pero con mas orgullo es que es un latino Independiente (leer mas)

Dog Days of August: Is There an Independent Movement?

Yes, there is!

Summer independent barometer of top two open primaries and the upsurge of the independent voting movement indicates a hot spot for independent voters.

Hanksteristas will note that we have been very focused on the New York City mayoral candidacy of Adolfo Carrion.  (Special thanks to our new correspondent Ramon Pena for his stalwart correspondence en Espanol!)

And rightly so -- Adolfo Carrion is the independent option for Mayor of NYC in the November election.

But, YES, New York, there is a world out there beyond the over-crowded, over-heated, over-stressed, over-politicized, under-developed, under-served, humanity-teeming streets of NYC!

So I spent a few minutes today perusing the news and came up with a few gems. Things seem to be perculating outside of Starbucks, and developing beyond the stars....

Hope you'll read on!

From independentvoting.org Florida's Ray Hudkins:

The NBC/CNN/Hillary Clinton/Republican Party Soap Opera and Voters
By Ray Hudkins on 08/15/2013

Florida Independent Voting.Org normally sticks to straight fact based reporting on the pro and con arguments on Top 2 Open Primaries.  We are a non-partisan movement and do not endorse candidates or take positions on current issues.  However a recent interview of Reince Priebus (Republican National Committee Chair) on Morning Joe brought into the open an interesting and not surprising view of the thinking of the Republican Party.  What does that have to do with Top 2? 

Recently, Chuck Todd (NBC News Political Director and host of “The Daily Rundown”) spoke out on the plans for NBC Entertainment to air a mini-series on Hillary Clinton.  Todd labeled the new NBC miniseries a “total nightmare for the network’s news division” — adding another voice to the increasing backlash against the project.  He went on to say “No matter what, only we are going to own it, because people are going to see the peacock, and they see NBC, and they see NBC News, and they think, ‘Well, they can’t be that separate.”


From Catana L. Barnes, President, Independent Voters of Nevada:

Federal election commission not addressing independent-voter concerns



President Obama’s newly appointed Commission on Election Administration has begun holding public hearings around the country. The 10 member body is tasked with presenting recommendations to the president about how to “improve the voting experience.” Independent voters have a lot to say on this topic.Representatives of independent voter groups in Virginia, New York and Florida attended hearings in DC and Miami and submitted testimony. Other local independent voter groups including mine, Independent Voters of Nevada (IVON), who are under the umbrella of IndependentVoting.org (a national association for independent voters), will be attending the hearings scheduled for Denver, Philadelphia and Ohio.


And an unfortunately lack-luster informational entry from PBS by Jordan Vesey quoting only Rush Limbaugh... Primary Elections Unscrambled

New Jersey voters head to the polls Tuesday for two critical primary contests that will determine who will be competing in the Oct. 16 general election to find a permanent replacement for the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat. Each state sets its own laws governing when they're held, who can vote in them, and how candidates advance to the general election. In some states, primaries are considered to be more important than the general election. Primaries come in two main categories: partisan and non-partisan.

Mas sobre los pasos tomar para tener un Alcalde Independiente.

Comenzamos hacer llamadas a todas esas personas que quieren  estar envuelta en esta fabulosa campana.

Josephine Coskie , tremenda voluntaria, una maestra haciendo llamadas a las personas de Queens

David Belmont otro Fabuloso voluntario tambien haciendo llamadas en agradecimiento de todos ellos que firmaron

Independent Mayoral Candidate Adolfo Carrion at Ecuadorian Pride Parade: Queens NY

Very enthusiastic proud crowd today at the Ecuadorian Parade in Jackson Heights Queens NY!

Among the notables:

Adolfo Carrión, a rising Democratic Party star who quit the party in October 2012 to become an independent and run for Mayor of NY...

• Former member of the New York City Council
• Spent 44 days in Federal Prison for protesting the bombing on the island of Vieques, PR
• Elected twice as Bronx Borough President (2002-2009)
• Served two terms as President of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials
• Appointed by President Obama as the nation’s first Director of Urban Affairs
• Small business owner in the real estate development sector

The Daily News reports:

Queens counts more than 100,000 residents who hail from Ecuador, making it the largest community of people who hail from the South American country of any county in the U.S.
Corona happens to be home to Queens’ “Little Ecuador,” but it’s neighboring Jackson Heights that plays host to the community’s annual Ecuadorian Pride Parade. (Read more)

Crimen y Viviendas, una preocupacion de mucho Neuyorquinos

Para la envejeciente Berenice Reyes, una dominicana que lleva 34 años en El Bronx, su mayor preocupación es el crimen y la vivienda, y consideró que el expresidente de El Bronx Adolfo Carrión, quien se ha postulado por el Partido Independiente, "es quien va a resolver nuestros problemas".(leer mas) 

This Domican Senior Citizen who lived in the Bronx for 34 years says her main concern is crime housing.

Todos Los Pasos Que Hay Que Tomar Para Tener Un Alcalde Independiente

Lo Hicimos. Obtuvimos 5048 firmas para Adolfo Carrion. Ahora es el Independiente para Alcalde. Hicimos miles y miles de llamadas. Mas de 5000 personas firmaron nuestra peticion porque desean una tercera voz en estas elecciones.

En estos ultmos dias hemos mandado cartas de agradecimiento a todas esas personas que firmaron nuestra peticion..

Estos son alguno de los voluntarios que trabajamos en este otro paso para poder tener un alcaldo no partidista en Nueva York.

Activistas Lou Hinman Y Jason Martinez

Michael Drucker Y Shatzi Weisberger

Tom Burkhart, tremendo voluntario

Todos creemos en esta campana 

Brandi Martindale: A New Non-Partisan Politic for America

guest post

By Brandi Martindale

Across America, voters are rejecting the political party system. For many, it’s a decision that stems from feelings of disconnect, as the parties spiral into warring factions. Fewer can relate to the political blame-game playing out in the mass media. While leaders point fingers, America grows impatient, and asks, “When is something going to get done?”

The independent movement is a sign that “When?” is “Now!” And rather than wait for the system to serve them, Americans are rejecting it completely, and demanding a new kind of non-partisan politic.

The deadlock between partisan factions - the failure of our national leaders to respond to our voice - may be precisely what America needs to rally us to action. While Washington drags its feet on issues  that are clear-cut to ninety percent of Americans independents mobilize. With the success of the  National Conference of Independents hosted by CUIP last February, the demand for non-partisan solutions is growing faster than ever.

Igniting conversations that remain focused on solutions, the independent movement isgrowing in all directions. The robust non-partisan scientific community offers us strongdata on the cost of cutting social welfare - that one dollar spent on head start programs earns twelve in future economic gains, highlighting where partisan policy falters. The words “Democrat” and “Republican” carry little value when solutions requires facts, and opinions require evidence.

The independent movement grows as constituents call and write to their Congresspeople, unhappy with officials’ behavior in office. Congresspeople are being reminded they are public servants first, and partisan loyalists second. After gun control legislation failed to pass, Harry Reid mentioned bringing it back for another vote, after a seething backlash from the public. The issues we face are neither Democrat, nor Republican - they are American. This unity is understood by the independent movement, and represents the nature of change so many want to see.

After compiling the registration data of nineteen states with closed primary elections, I have put a hard number to the independent movement. That number is thirteen million, fifteen-thousand, two hundred thirty-one. In these nineteen states with closed primaries, twenty-two percent of the voting population have no say in primary election outcomes - the first round of selection- because they do not wish to participate in the political party system. As an American, and as an agent of democracy, I find this fact appalling.

The spirit of the independent movement is strong and simple - disregard allegiance to partisan cronies, and pledge allegiance to our flag, our nation, and our people - all people. This sentiment resonates deeply with every American, regardless of which box they checked at voter registration - which more and more often is ‘other’, ‘unaffiliated’, No Preference”, or simply “I do not wish to join a political party”.

Brandi Martindale is an activist with the NYC Independence Party, and is currently working as a research intern for Columbia University, at independentvoting.org. Brandi is completing her MA in Organizational Social-Psychology this summer, and brings an understanding of organizational structure and group behavior to the conversation of non-partisan politics.

Mas sobre el poder del votante Independiente

Aunque estos articulos sean un poco viejos no dejan de cambiar la importancia de el votante independiente. Leer y educarse. (leer mas)

LA HISTORIA DE PRIMARIAS ABIERTAS

En este articulo se habla sobre la historia de las primarias abiertas. Muchos hispanos no entienden este sistema. Necesitamos educarnos y Independizarnos. (leer aqui)

NYC Independent Mayoral Candidate to New York Times: Yusuf Hawkins is not a campaign dynamic!

Carrion states: In the [NY Times Sunday Magazine] article, to make matters even worse, the on-line version includes a postscript, added after the magazine went to press, informing readers that ‘another sexting scandal engulfed Anthony Weiner.' The editors and writer then go on to ponder whether this will be ‘a Yusuf.’ My God! 

Read 2013 Mayoral Candidate Adolfo Carrión's statement today:

CARRIÓN BLASTS NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE FOR STUNNING REFERENCE TO THE DEATH OF YUSUF HAWKINS AND COMPARISON TO WEINER SCANDAL

NEW YORK, NY…JULY 26, 2013—Independence Party Candidate for mayor Adolfo Carrión has issued the following statement calling on the New York Times to apologize for a NYT Magazine article that is racially insensitive and offensive

 “Yesterday the New York Times published an upcoming Sunday Magazine article on the mayoral candidates and the state of the race.  In the article, the author refers to moments when campaign dynamics suddenly change and uses the term ‘a Yusuf’ to describe them. When I read the line in the article, I was absolutely appalled.  Yusuf Hawkins was a 16 year old African-American boy who was brutally murdered in 1989 by a gang of white youth.

 “He is not a turning point in a campaign. He is not a political science term. He was a victim of one of the worst incidents of racial hatred in our city’s history.  That the Times would feel free to use such a term is so outrageously cynical, insensitive and arrogant that it is almost hard to believe.  Don't they read their own newspaper?  Don't they know that the wounds we feel from the killing of 17 year old Trayvon Martin, are still raw?

 “This isn’t the first time that the editors at the Times have been caught demonstrating an elitist and bigoted editorial tone.  Earlier this year in the wake of the killing of Alphonza Bryant, the tone of the Times' response cheapened the value of a human life because it suggested that the murder of a 17 year old in the Bronx was simply too mundane to report.

“In the current article, to make matters even worse, the on-line version includes a postscript, added after the magazine went to press, informing readers that ‘another sexting scandal engulfed Anthony Weiner.' The editors and writer then go on to ponder whether this will be ‘a Yusuf.’ My God! Sending photos of one's private parts is offensive and perverse, but it is not remotely comparable to the killing of a child.  The Times postscript says the two are ‘hard to compare,’ but then they go ahead and do it anyway!  Turning a devastating tragedy into a political catchword is about as low as it gets.

 “The Times and the Times Magazine owe the people of this city an apology. They owe the family of Yusuf Hawkins an apology.  And all New Yorkers should question the editorial decisions of a paper that has exhibited a pattern of shocking racial insensitivity.”

Lo que tiene que decir Adolfo Carrion sobre Anthony Weiner

El candidato independiente Adolfo Carrión utilizó las encuestas para arremeter en contra de Weiner, aseguró que el 71% que se abstendrá de votar lo hace porque ya no creen en políticos y lanzó la pregunta ¿Debemos confiar en Weiner?, Carrión recalcó que Weiner debe renunciar. (leer mas

Adolfo Carrion says "71% will abstain from voting because they do not believe in politicians. Should we trust Weiner?"

Ramon Pena

The Hankster Becomes Bi-Lingual ¡En español!

Independent Activist Ramon Pena Joins The Hankster

If you have noticed several recent posts en español on The Hankster, it's because Ramon Pena, long-time activist with the NYC Independence Party and independentvoting.org, is now on board as a correspondent.

Ramon is outspoken on issues such as open primaries, nonpartisan elections, independent redistricting, and other voting rights for independents.

You can read his story here about his journey from East Harlem Democrat to national independent grassroots leader...

Enjoy his voice on The Hankster.

La lucha continua!!

Thanks, Ramon!

NH

Letter to President Obama for Federal Electoral Commission

Letter to the President's Commission on Election Administration

Presidential Commission on Election Administration GSA, 1776 G Street NW., Washington, DC 20006 Dear Commissioners, We, the undersigned, are independent voters from all 50 states. We are deeply concerned that America’s political process is in a crisis and that serious attention must be paid to it. We are glad that President Obama has formed a commission to look at some of the defects in the electoral process, though we feel the narrow mandate of the Commission falls short of the public debate we need to have. One example of these shortcomings is that there are specific defects that affect independent voters which the Commission does not seem prepared to address. With 40% of Americans now identifying as independent, this should be a Commission priority. Independents are not accorded the same courtesies and privileges as members of political parties, such as receiving mailed ballots at home or having the right to serve as poll workers on Election Day. During primary season, where some states permit us to vote, we come face to face with poll workers who do not understand their own rules and frequently misinform us about our voting rights. We have no representation on the Federal Elections Commission or Boards of Elections, and are often required to register to vote as “unenrolled” or “undeclared” voters, not as the independents that we are. In many states, we are barred from primary voting altogether, even though we – as taxpayers – finance those closed party primaries. As you go about your work to identify and recommend improvements to the voting experience, we urge you to recognize that the American people want a more non-partisan form of politics at every level. Please use the power the President has given you to be open and responsive to this need! Sincerely,

Ramon Pena

Please join me in signing this letter online