The Oregonian has this story about the Independent Party’s primary, which the party is paying for. The Independent Party, with approximately 56,000 registered members, is ballot-qualified. However, the Oregon law does not permit it to have a government-funded primary, because it has registration under 3% of the state total. Yet the party feels it has so many members, nomination by convention (which is the usual method for ballot-qualified small parties in Oregon) is not practical.
So, it has arranged a means for the party to hold its own primary, at its own expense, which the article describes.
I think it is ridiculous, not to mention unfair, that the largest parties are the only ones that get their primaries paid for by the tax payers.
Separate is NOT equal.
Brown v. Bd of Ed 1954
Every election is NEW and has ZERO to do with any prior election.
P.R. and App.V.
NO primaries, caucuses and conventions are needed.
These folks would remember and possibly use any complementary letters to the editor!
Kudos to the Independent Party of Oregon for sponsoring their own primary. Cool!!
The threshold for getting the State of Oregon to pay for a party’s primary is 5% of all registered voters, not 3% as the article implies.
Anyone who wishes to help defray the cost of this primary election is welcome to contribute. Go to:
http://indparty.com/contribute
If I lived and voted in Oregon, I’d most likely be a registered member of the Independent Party, though most likely I’d be a very tiny minority among what most likely are moderate to liberal members.
Still, it is inovative ideas like this is what is going to help the Independent Party to “catch on” and become a major “balance of power” if not outright “kingmaker” in Oregonian politics. I predict the day will come when any Democrat or Republican who does not get the co-nomination of the Independent Party will have an up-hill battle for election or re-election.
But like with many other ideas regarding positive election reform, most 3rd partisans can’t see it. It’s all got to be accompished through their narrow little window or not at all. And it serves them all right – whether Libertarian, Constitutionalist, Green, or whatever, if they get left behind.
Best of success to the Independent Party and their online Primary.