New York City is holding a special election to fill the vacant City Council seat in the 32nd district in Brooklyn. The election is February 24. At a debate among the four candidates held on February 19, the audience expressed hostility toward one of the candidates, Professor Geraldine Chapey, because she had successfully challenged the ballot access petitions of one of her opponents, Frank Gulluscio. See this article.
Ironically, a few days later, the candidate who had successfully challenged one of her oppponents off the ballot, also succeeded in knocking another of her opponents off the ballot. See this story. Glenn DiResto was removed from the ballot because his partisan label, “Families First”, was deemed too similar to “Working Families”, and in special elections, candidates cannot use the name of a qualified party as a ballot label.
And of course it is always better to remove a candidate than to go to all the trouble and cause all the confusion to the poor voters than, say, maybe, changing a label.
In America’s mindset, a democracy and republic are the same thing.
Does that mean that we should get rid of a Republican or Democrat in each election?!?
If only…
What would they think of the possible confusion between one or more of the following?:
America First Party
America’s Independent Party
Independence Party of America
Party for Socialism and Liberation
Peace and Freedom Party
Socialist Equality Party
Socialist Party USA
Socialist Workers Party
Unity Party of America
Workers World Party
Working Families Party
I don’t believe that signatures should be required to obtain ballot access anywhere in the USA. Charge a flat fee ($50-$500) to get on the ballot with a condition the candidate must show an effort to be an active candidate: campaign mailing address (can be a PO box), telephone access, campaign literature, news releases.
They knock off Families First because it’s too similar to Working Families, but what about the New York Independent Party that has confused countless poor voters who just wanted to be independent?
When you send in your registration form with the intent of enrolling Green, and find out later that you’re a registered Republican, you figure out that confusion is not the only problem at the New York Board of Elections.