California’s county election officials are hoping that the state legislature will pass a bill, ending elections for political party officers. For almost a century, members of qualified political parties in California have chosen county central committee members, at the primary election. The Libertarian Party has opted out of such elections, but the other five qualified parties continue to use these elections to choose party officers. The Contra Costa Times has this article, airing the issue. The reason for abolishing these elections is to save money.
This is one more attack on democracy and progressive politics and I hope that the idea goes nowhere. By the way, how does the Libertarian Party elect its county central committee members now days? I did not see that mentioned in the article mentioned.
Phil
Philippe L. Sawyer, Member:
Sacramento County Central Committee
Peace and Freedom Party of California
How many PRIVATE groups manage to survive with paper mail ballots for the groups Bylaws and officers ???
Stimulate the postal snail ???
Internet ballots — with code words ???
Expect Mark Seidenberg to weigh in on this in 3.. 2.. 1..
Phil,
The Libertarian Party of California’s bylaws determine who are members of the party. To be a member, one typically is required to pay dues to the state party.
Political parties are organizations entitled to freedom of association rights under the First Amendment. As such, the State has no business determining who can decide matters of internal party leadership.
While I was Chairman I helped draft the legislation later enacted to enable political parties to opt out of using taxpayer funded elections to determine party leadership.
Aaron Starr
Immediate Past Chairman
Libertarian Party of California
# 4 See the 1989 Eu SCOTUS case about the State party hacks having ZERO power over internal clubby party hack officers of ALL parties.
However, some minor parties love having the taxpayers pay for minor party primary election stuff in some States.
Arguably, Proposition 14 requires that the state conduct elections for party officers. The intent was to avoid problems like in Washington and Arizona, but it now appears that political parties have a right under the constitution to have state-operated elections for central committees. Can the Libertarians continue to opt out?
Incidentally, there is a Washington bill (HB? 1860) that would effectively eliminate elections for precinct committee officers. Nominally, it would move the election from the statewide primary to the presidential primary. But it also provides that unless all major parties agree to allocate delegates on the basis of the presidential primary, no primary will be held. In the past, Washington Democrats have refused to base delegate selection on the primary, and this would give them veto power on whether a presidential primary is even held. It is unlikely that there will be a primary in 2012.
In the event that no presidential primary, the bill would let each party choose its precinct committee officers however they wanted to. And even if they were elected at the presidential primary, they would be serving for 4-year terms which result in a large share of PCO being appointed.
To Aaron Starr (#4):
Still unanswered is my question of how the Libertarian Party of California determines its county central committee members.
The Peace and Freedom Party of California (and other parties) utilize the current process because they wish to do so. The process is part of our bylaws; the state does not determine our c.c.c. members – the voters (of PFP-CA) do so. Most importantly, this is the most democratic and progressive manner of doing such business.