ADPblog

Monday, May 15, 2006

Trying to get on the ballot in Indiana

Indiana only allows three political parties on the ballot: Libertarian, Republican and Democrat. For another political party, such as the Green Party, to gain ballot access on election day and to then hold public office in this republic, the Indiana legislature has thrown up exceedingly difficult barriers to overcome. In fact, Indiana is one of the most difficult states to get onto the ballot if you intend to run for office with an alternative party.

The Green Party is trying to gain ballot access in Indiana to give voters another choice at elections. To do this, the Green Party must first run a candidate for Indiana Secretary of State. To get the candidate’s name on the ballot, not only must the candidate file all the appropriate applications on time, but the candidate must also gather over 30,000 certified signatures of registered voters on a petition for the candidate’s name to appear on the ballot in November. (The Republican and Democratic parties have never had to do this). If the Green Party candidate for Secretary of State gets enough votes in this November’s elections, only then will the Green Party have ballot access for the following election.

And it gets worse: the Indiana legislature recently changed ballot access rules by requiring that these signatures be turned in two months earlier than previously required (this change happened after the Libertarians gained ballot access). Slicing off two months means that signatures cannot be gathered in the summer months prior to an election when many folks are attentive to the election process and public gatherings are more frequent.

Working to gather signatures for the Green Party candidate, Bill Stant, has been an interesting exercise in Indiana politics and human behavior. Despite the odds stacked against the Green Party and any other party wishing to gain ballot access, I persevere because I believe in the values of the Green Party and that all ideas should be open to voters. Some things I have observed and the (silent) thoughts they triggered;

1) Most people are willing to help you if you ask them nicely; when voters are asked “will you please sign my petition?” about 70% of the people will say “yes” before even knowing what the petition is for. Anne Frank wrote, “I really do believe that people are good at heart.”

2) When I explain the Green Party’s pillars are “social justice, grassroots democracy, ecological wisdom and non-violence,” the response is almost always positive. Why aren’t more candidates of all political stripes hearing this and embracing these ideals in their platform?

3) I’m curious, especially about women who upon hearing the pillar “non-violence” refuse to sign the petition because they “believe in war.” Isn’t it time we humans evolve beyond resorting to violence to seek revenge, obtain resources, finance defense industry corporations or resolve conflicts? Would these women be so pro-war if they’d ever lived in a war zone and had to forage for food, water or shelter and live in fear of being raped at all times?

4) Some people refuse to sign, identifying themselves as Democrats angry with Ralph Nader for “pulling votes from Al Gore” in the 2000 election. Why are they certain those voters would have chosen Al Gore and why shouldn’t people vote for who they really want to win? Furthermore, the concept of a so-called ‘spoiler’ is eliminated in an election with instant run-off balloting. By ranking candidates in order of preference we help the best candidate get elected rather than limiting voters’ choices to the “lesser of two evils.” Instant run-off balloting is part of the Green Party platform and is being used by many countries, many U.S. municipalities, as well as Major League Baseball in selecting players for the All-Star game.

5) Many women accompanied by their male significant other (usually their husband) will listen attentively, nod in agreement to everything I say, then turn to the male with them for “permission” to sign. If he says “no,” she will always say “sorry, I guess not.” Where are the feminists to rescue this poor woman from the 1950’s?

6) Women who will sign my petition despite their husband’s negative attitude are almost always in their late 50’s to early 70’s.  You go girl.

7) People working for candidates or in government offices often will not sign my petition for fear of “being found out by the party’s operatives,” even though they may be sympathetic to my request and the values of the Green Party. Why are you working for a political party or government you perceive to be closed-minded and vindictive?

8) Politicians can always be persuaded to sign my petition. No politician really wants to appear opposed to choices in an open election process.

9) When gathering signatures, I find that people really like approaching you when you have a big, fuzzy Newfoundland at your side. When I run for office as a Green Party candidate, I’m campaigning with my big, fuzzy Newfoundland.

If you would like to help the Green Party get on the ballot, please visit Bill Stant’s website or check out the Indiana Green Party’s website.  Finally, if you do not see Bill Stant’s name on the ballot in November 2006, you can still do a write-in ballot to vote for him as he is an official candidate for Secretary of State, despite the barriers Indiana tries to throw up before the democratic process.

A shorter version of this essay was broadcast on WVPE on June 6.  A version was also published by the South Bend Tribune on June 16, B7.



Contributed by Kathleen Petitjean on 05/15/2006
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