The Independent Party of Hawaii is launching a drive to qualify for the ballot in 2010. The party also appeared on the Hawaii ballot in 2008, and was the vehicle for getting Ralph Nader on the ballot that year. For more information, contact Shaun Stenshol, 808-283-6878, or nadermoore@yahoo.com. The party needs 663 valid signatures.
One-state parties that nominated Nader for president in 2008, and which are ballot-qualified in 2010, are the Peace & Freedom Party of California, the Independent Party of Connecticut (which is ballot-qualified for some offices but not all offices), the Independent Party of Delaware, the Ecology Party of Florida, the Natural Law Party of Michigan, the Independent Party of New Mexico, and the Peace Party of Oregon.
What is the most likely name that the Peace Party of Oregon will choose if it changes its name? I hope that the Party chooses Progressive Party of Oregon.
The fact that the Peace and Freedom Party of California chose the honorable Ralph Nader as presidential standard bearer in 2008 was wonderful. Unfortunately, it was four years too late. President Barack Obama took many votes that otherwise would have gone to Mr. Nader (and Mr. Nader took many votes that otherwise would have gone to Ms. Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party nominee). PFP-CA remains in the clutches of the Old Guard Leaders. Until that changes, the Party will continue to go down in registration and election totals. By then, it may be too late. On August 4th of this year, I changed my registration from PFP-CA to “I Decline to State a Political Party.” Most likely, I will vote in the Democratic Party Primary Election, next year.
By the way, I am still saying that the Republican Party of the United States will be a minor-sized party by 2012.
CIVIC LIBERTY AMENDMENT;
SECTION1. Every citizen of the United States shall have the right to the freedom of political opinion or preference. The right of citizens of the United States to peaceful political expression, namely assembly, speech, petitioning, picketing, protesting press, publishing and other forms of media shall not be infringed.
SECTION2. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in a general or special public election, in accordance with their own political opinion or preference, shall not be denied or abridged on the account of race, color, creed, belief, opinion, national or ethnic ancestry, indigent status, physical disability, sex, gender, sexual orientation or failure to pay any tax.
SECTION3. The right of citizens of the United States to seek and, if elected, to hold public executive or legislative office shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on the account of race, color, creed, belief, opinion, national or ethnic ancestry, indigent status, physical disability, sex, gender, sexual orientation or failure to pay any tax.
SECTION4. All citizens of the United States, who are eligible to vote, shall have the right to peacefully establish, associate with, recruit members and campaign for their own political parties and other political organizations within the jurisdiction of the United States. All political organizations that are established within the jurisdiction of the United States shall have the necessary legal guarantees to enable them to compete with each other on a basis of equal treatment before the law and by the authorities.
SECTION5. All ballot access laws, namely petitioning and fees, concerning an individual candidate or a political party shall be transparent, equitable, fair and lenient.
SECTION6. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article with appropriate legislation.
What happened, Richard, to the sentence (or part of a sentence) that mentioned that the Peace Party of Oregon was probably going to change its name?