America Should Hold Primaries on One Day

This is from an article in The Economist of August 4th.

The system to select candidates to run for Congress might have been designed with the welfare of journalists and lobby groups in mind.  Primary elections go from March to September, allowing reporters to travel the country eating barbecue with candidates for seven months.

These primaries attract relatively few voters, meaning that well organized lobby groups hold disproportional sway.  Organized labor influences Democratic primaries more than they ought to be the case given that only 11% of workers are union members.  In Republican primaries, relatively small outfits like Club for Growth, which campaigns for smaller government, can make a big splash.

So the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think-tank, believes it has a solution.

The center is proposing we do away with our timetable for primaries, and hold them on the same day.  It thinks that the change would create a media event, a pre-election election, thereby attracting move voters to the polls and giving more power to moderates.  Elaine Kamark of the Brookings Institute, another think-tank, reckons that the two parties, which generally dislike the freakish results that low turnout elections sometime produce might look into this.

The benefits might even outweigh the harm done to the well being of political reporters.

For me, one of the problems of low turnout is the 16 states that have closed primaries (Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wyoming) where only party members can vote.

So states allow the voter to change their registration at the polls so they can get a ballot.  Then there are different options to revert to their independent status, such as at the poll site or at City Hall.

But this still has the problem of having to select a party's ballot removing the voters option to select the candidates of their choice.

I would like to see a Blanket Primary, which is less restrictive then a Top-Two Primary.

In a Blanket Primary, voters may pick one candidate for each office without regard to party lines; for instance, a voter might select a Democratic candidate for governor and a Republican candidate for senator.  In a traditional blanket primary the candidates with the highest number of votes for each office in each party advance to the general election, as the respective party's nominee.  Blanket primaries differ from open primaries – in open primaries voters may pick candidates regardless of their own party registration, but may only choose among candidates from a single party of the voter's choice.  A blanket primary gives registered voters maximum choice in selecting candidates.

With this system, a separate ballot is used to select party positions and only party members can use it.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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NYC Needs a New Way to Vote

I read an article in the New York Daily News by Francis Barry, Mayor Bloomberg’s Director of Public Affairs and the author of “The Scandal of Reform.”  He contends New York City is not a real democracy and explains how the voters can have a serious competition and real choice.

He explains that the voter will find when they get their ballot that nearly all of the races for offices have already been decided.  Their only choice will be whether to rubber stamp the inevitable winners or cast protest votes for fringe candidates.

Voters are stuck in this predicament in part because the local Republican Party has been on life support since the 1970s.  This year, the GOP is contesting a record low number of offices.  For the City Council’s 51 seats, for instance, Republicans have nominated only 29 candidates, leaving nearly half the council uncontested.  And most of those 29 nominees are merely sacrificial lambs who have raised little or no money and will lose in huge landslides.

The GOP is not even bothering to field a candidate for the office of Public Advocate, second-in-line to the mayor.  The last time Republicans won that office was in 1941, when the office was called the City Council President.  Nor has the GOP nominated a candidate for Brooklyn Borough President.  A Republican hasn’t won Brooklyn Borough Hall since 1913.

The lack of electoral competition except on low-turnout primary day may be good for Democratic Party leaders, but not it’s not good for voters.  Only 22% of Democrats voted in the September primary.  When a significantly larger number of Democrats arrive at the polls tomorrow, joined by hundreds of thousands of independents and others who were prohibited from participating in the September primary, they will find they have few viable choices.

Many of tomorrow’s inevitable winners were actually opposed by a majority of primary voters.  In one City Council race, the Democratic primary winner, Helen Rosenthal, received only 26% of the vote.  Three of four Democrats supported someone else.  But in the general election, she will face a token Republican candidate who has not raised a dime.  Like most other Democratic nominees, she effectively stopped campaigning after the primary.  The general election is only a formality.

Election law should be built to benefit voters, not parties.  The existing system benefits parties at the expense of voters.

Mr. Barry's solution is to allow all voters and all candidates equal access to the primary and general elections.  Under such a system, all parties’ candidates would compete in a single primary open to all voters.  The top two vote getters would then advance to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation.

Many cities around the country, along with several states, have moved to this more inclusive form of elections, often called a nonpartisan or “top two” system.  Voters in California recently adopted such a system.

Here in New York City, more competition at the polls would mean higher voter turnout. Expanding access to the polls to independents (about one in five voters) would make it harder for party bosses to control election outcomes.  And that would help make it easier for new immigrant groups, which party organizations are traditionally slow to embrace, to elect representatives of their communities.

But there are other options to Top-Two.  There is the option of a Blanket Primary.  A primary in which the ballot is not restricted to candidates from one party.  My version would have each party’s candidate with the most votes move to the General Election.  To overcome the party association issue, some states allows parties to opt-out of this process and run their closed primary.

Today many voters have declared their independence and say they want to vote for the candidates and not the party. In many states where they can not take part in the primary voting process, they ask “why are my taxes paying for the candidate selection process of private entities called political parties?”

In New York City, we could create a primary ballot for independents, or as some are called: no party preference or blanks, and include all the candidates running in the primary process for each position.  The candidates with the most votes for each position would then appear on the Independent ballot line in the General Election.

In New York, where we use Fusion voting, the candidate’s vote on the Independent ballot line would be added to the total vote the candidate gets on the other ballot lines they appear on.

The absence of serious competition and real voter choice that will define tomorrow’s election should not be shrugged off as if nothing can be done.  Practical solutions exists, and voters in New York City whose diversity of ethnicity and opinion embodies the best traditions of American democracy, deserve a better election process.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Alaska's Blanket or Combined Primary History

The more I look at "Top-Two" primary voting, I find it too restrictive, removing the ability of a write-in effort. It also takes away the parties ability to opt-in or opt-out of the process.

So I decided the "Blanket Primary" would be a better choice if the process let the parties decide if they wanted to participate. This led me to Alaska.

The Voter Registration form:

Political Affiliation. Select only ONE.

Political Partiy:
- Alaska Democratic Party
- Alaska Libertarian Party
- Alaska Republican Party
- Alaskan Independence Party

Or Political Groups:
- Green Party of Alaska
- Alaska Constitution Party
- Veterans Party of Alaska

Or Other:
- Nonpartisan (no party affiliation)
- Undeclared (no party declared)
- _________________________________

2003 - State Superior Court allowed parties to appear on a Combined Party ballot

The Alaska Superior Court, in Green Party et al. v. State Of Alaska et al., prevented the State from enforcing portions of election laws regarding the Primary Election in 2004. The ruling allowed parties to decide if they wanted to appear on a Combined Party ballot. Parties also specified which voters could have access to their ballots. Parties were given until June 1, 2004 to indicate to the State, through their bylaws, if they wanted to appear on a Combined Party ballot, and which voters would have access to their ballot.

2004 - Voters to choose from three ballots in the Primary

The Republican Party chose to have only Republican candidates on its Primary ballot, and ONLY those voters registered Republican, nonpartisan and undeclared had access to the Republican ballot.

The Alaska Libertarian Party, the Alaskan Independence Party, and the Green Party of Alaska agreed to be on a Combined Party ballot available to all registered voters.

On the third ballot, the Alaska Democratic Party appears on a Combined Party ballot with the Alaska Libertarian Party, the Alaska Independence Party and the Green Party of Alaska. The Democratic Party specified this ballot to be accessible to all voters except Republicans.

2006 - Voters to choose from three ballots in the Primary

The Republican Party chose to have only Republican candidates on its Primary ballot, and ONLY those voters registered Republican, nonpartisan and undeclared had access to the Republican ballot.

The Alaska Democratic Party, the Alaska Libertarian Party, the Alaskan Independence Party, and the Green Party of Alaska agreed to be on a Combined Party ballot available to all registered voters.

The third ballot type contained ballot measures only and did not include any candidates. This ballot was for voters who did not want to vote for any candidates.

2008 to 2012 - Voters to choose from three ballots in the Primary

The Republican Party chose to have only Republican candidates on its Primary ballot, and ONLY those voters registered Republican, nonpartisan and undeclared had access to the Republican ballot.

The Alaska Democratic Party, the Alaska Libertarian Party, and the Alaskan Independence Party agreed to be on a combined party ballot available to all registered voters. The Green Party of Alaska no longer met the qualifications of a recognized political party in Alaska and was therefore prohibited from appearing on a party ballot for the 2008 Primary election.

The third ballot type contained ballot measures only and did not include any candidates. This ballot was for voters who did not want to vote for any candidates.

General Election

The name of the candidate receiving the highest number of votes for an office by a political party on the Primary Election ballot will advance to the General Election ballot. Candidates who do not represent a political party (no-party candidates) certified by the director will appear on the General Election ballot. A space will be provided in each race on the General Election ballot for voters to record the name of a write-in candidate certified by the director.

So the concept of a blanket primary with the parties by-laws accepting the process passed constitutionality in Alaska.

I think there is more tweaking for this type of primary to be accepted in other states. Blanket or Combined, this still does not allow voters to select their candidate choices irregardless of their party or non-party association.

Interesting that the Republicans allowed nonpartisan and undeclared voters to take part in their primary.

How would you modify this type of primary?










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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INDEPENDENTS DESERVE A BALLOT LINE

Currently the following states have closed primaries to independent voters:

Closed Primary States & Number of Independents

Connecticut – 933,279
Delaware - 143,152
Florida - 2,572,901
Kentucky - 167,477
Maine - 361,797*
Nebraska - 228,583*
Nevada - 476,238
New Jersey - 2,585,287*
New Mexico - 38,320
New York - 2,440,725
Oklahoma - 256,450
Pennsylvania - 619,800
South Dakota - 8,900

Total Ind’s – 10,832,909

* In these state, the independent voter registers in a party, votes in their primary, and in Maine & New Jersey can then change back to independent status. For Nebraska:

•If you wish to vote in the primary election, where parties choose their nominees for state and county offices, you need to declare your party affiliation.

•If you register without a political party affiliation, you will receive only the non-partisan ballots at a primary election.

•Non-partisans may designate a party preference at primary elections and receive partisan ballots for the Senate and House congressional races.

A main reason for this stance by political parties is:

Freedom of association is the right to join or leave groups of a person's own choosing, and for the group to take collective action to pursue the interests of members. It is both an individual right and a collective right, guaranteed by all modern and democratic legal systems. Freedom of association is primarily manifested through the right to join a trade union, free speech or debating societies, political parties, or any other club or association such as religious groups, fraternities, or sport clubs. It is closely linked with the freedom of assembly, particularly under the US Bill of Rights. More specifically the freedom of assembly is understood in a political context, although depending on the source (constitution, human rights instrument, etc.) the right to freedom of association may be understood to include the right to freedom of assembly.

Today many voters have declared their independence and say they want to vote for the candidates and not the party. In many states where they can not take part in the primary voting process, they ask “why are my taxes paying for the candidate selection process of private entities called political parties?”

To answer this question, some states have created different versions of Primaries:

Semi-closed. As in closed primaries, registered party members can vote only in their own party's primary. Semi-closed systems, however, allow unaffiliated voters to participate as well. Depending on the state, independents either make their choice of party primary privately, inside the voting booth, or publicly, by registering with any party on Election Day. Fifteen states — Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming — have semi-closed primaries that allow voters to register or change party preference on election day.

Open. A registered voter may vote in any party primary regardless of his own party affiliation. When voters do not register with a party before the primary, it is called a pick-a-party primary because the voter can select which party's primary he or she wishes to vote in on election day. Because of the open nature of this system, a practice known as raiding may occur. Raiding consists of voters of one party crossing over and voting in the primary of another party, effectively allowing a party to help choose its opposition's candidate. The theory is that opposing party members vote for the weakest candidate of the opposite party in order to give their own party the advantage in the general election.

Semi-open. A registered voter need not publicly declare which political party's primary that they will vote in before entering the voting booth. When voters identify themselves to the election officials, they must request a party's specific ballot. Only one ballot is cast by each voter. In many states with semi-open primaries, election officials or poll workers from their respective parties record each voter's choice of party and provide access to this information. The primary difference between a semi-open and open primary system is the use of a party-specific ballot. In a semi-open primary, a public declaration in front of the election judges is made and a party-specific ballot given to the voter to cast. Certain states that use the open-primary format may print a single ballot and the voter must choose on the ballot itself which political party's candidates they will select for a contested office.

Nonpartisan blanket. A primary in which the ballot is not restricted to candidates from one party, where the top two candidates advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. But this option in my opinion is to restrictive.

Blanket. A primary in which the ballot is not restricted to candidates from one party. My version would have each party’s candidate with the most votes move to the General Election.

When reading the many articles about our primary system, some of the comments from readers ask “if our taxes are used to run this system why can’t we take part in the process?” Since party’s are private entities and wants to close their candidate selection process they should use their own funds to run it.

So here is my solution:

Create a primary ballot for independents, or as some are called: no party preference or blanks, and include all the candidates running in the primary process for each position. The candidates with the most votes for each position would then appear on the Independent ballot line in the General Election.

In New York, where we use Fusion voting, the candidate’s vote on the Independent ballot line would be added to the total vote the candidate gets on the other ballot lines they appear on.

In my district, 73rd (Mid & Upper Eastside of Manhattan) the registered voter registration is:

Democrat - 51,086
Republican - 21,520
Conservative - 213
Working Family - 52
Independence - 4,079
Green - 117
Other - 41
Blank - 21,990 (No Party Preference)

So this change will allow 21,990 voters to take part in the primary process.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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How a Blanket Primary Works

I have been an advocate of allowing all voters to take part in their state's primary system. I am opposed to the closed system we have in New York. It amounts to taxation without representation. Our taxes are being used to run the primary system, but the 2,249,506 voters registered in no party can not take part in the political process.

I have been interested in the top-two system implemented in California and have reviewed the many state plans being discussed in state legislatures. But I think a better option is the blanket primary.

In a blanket primary, voters may pick one candidate for each office without regard to party lines; for instance, a voter might select a Democratic candidate for governor and a Republican candidate for senator. The candidates with the highest votes by party for each office advance to the general election, as the respective party's nominee. A blanket primary gives registered voters maximum choice in selecting candidates.

One state, Alaska, comes close to my ideal system, but is not there yet. Their modified blanket primary was configured to satisfy Supreme Court decisions about the rights of association of parties.

They have two types of primary ballots:

- The Blanket Ballot of qualified parties: Alaska Democratic Party, the Alaska Libertarian Party and the Alaskan Independence Party agreed to be on a combined party ballot available to all registered voters. This ballot was referred to as the Alaskan Independence, Alaska Democratic and Alaska Libertarian (A-D-L) Candidate and Ballot Measures ballot.

- The Republican Party chose to have only Republican candidates on its Primary ballot, and ONLY those voters registered Republican, but also allowed nonpartisan and undeclared access to the Republican ballot. This ballot was referred to as the Republican Candidate and Ballot Measures ballot.

In their election system, write-ins are allowed on the General Election ballot.

In 2012, the U.S. Representative race had 5 Democrats and 1 Libertarian on the Blanket Primary ballot and 3 Republicans on the Republican ballot. So in the General, there was a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, and a Non-Affiliated who collected the necessary signatures to get on the General ballot.

We are almost there. When 271,866 independent (nonpartisan + undeclared) registered voters out of 513,880 registered voters could only vote in the Republican Primary, is not as open as I want.

So how do we get all registered voters in the country take part in the political process and get by the right of association?

Let me know your thoughts on this issue.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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The Two Sides of Ballot Access

In reading all the blogs about Open Primaries and Top Two, it is obvious to me most bloggers only see one side of the equation.

To make the concept of a truly Open Primary requires a number of actions to take place in a states Election Law:

Candidate
All candidates must have a chance to get on the ballot. Whichever system a states uses must be fair to all who want to be a candidate: number of signatures, filing fee, same amount of time to collect signatures, equal opportunity to get a message to the voters, etc. Then on a truly Open Primary they should have to option to designate the party they are registered with and their endorsements.

Voter
The voter must have the opportunity to select from all candidates for a position in a primary. Most systems force a voter to select from a single party's candidates. So when a party or state claims "we have an open primary" it just does not fit the bill. I as an independent may want to select different candidates from the major partys, minor partys, independents, or a write-in. How do I do that with most current systems? I would add Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) to a primary which would allow me to select as my first choice a favorite son or daughter, vanity vote, etc. and then make an informed vote as my next or other choice(s).

Party
As an entity they have the right to use any selection process they want as long as they pay for it. I as a tax payer should not be paying for their selection process. With the open primary system I am talking about, members of a party who are not selected could still allow the states' voters make the final decision on who should represent them.

Final Selection Process
Here I am still open to suggestions. I do not like the idea of the 40%, 50%+1 concept. So I am like maybe Top Two. The voices who say what about write-ins, etc. not taking part in the General Election, under my system they take part in the Open process. Some say the Blanket Open Primary would be the way to go. Here the highest vote getter for a: party (major and minor), independents, write-ins, go to the General.

What do you think of my suggestions?









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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