The Post Bulletin, daily newspaper for Rochester, Minnesota, has this article, in which the reporter asked leaders of the Independence Party about their thoughts on the party’s future. The party lost its status as a qualified party at the November 2014 election, although it is still entitled to public funding. Minnesota requires a 5% vote for a party to remain ballot-qualified, but only 1% for it to remain entitled to public funding.
No party leader quoted in this article mentioned the idea of asking the legislature to ease the definition of “party” for ballot access purposes. The median vote test of the 50 states is 2%.
The Independence Party gained qualified status in November 1994. In early 1996 it changed its name to the Reform Party, but in 2000 it changed it back to the Independence Party.
My initial suggestion to the leaders of the Independence Party is they work for legislation which will allow them to co-nominate major party nominees at the General Elections. If I were a resident of Minnesota, and a member of the Independence Party, this is what I would advocate.
These types of 3rd parties usually are more successful than those parties who solely strife to elect their own. It depends on what the immediate goal of the party is. If they want to see someone elected whom they can claim their votes helped elect, then “co-nomination” is what they should advocate for. If the candidate whom they help elect, does obtain some of the objectives of the 3rd party, then there has been a rationale for the party operating this way.
For those parties which are willing to wait and work for the election of its own candidates, then they should be willing to do so, but also work to get the statutes changed whereby the party can obtain and retain ballot access in an easier manner.
Again, it depends on what the individual party membership is willing to do. I trust the leaders and members of the Independence Party will make the right decision for its future.
The newspaper asked readers to respond to this editorial,
http://www.postbulletin.com/opinion/our-view-independence-party-needs-to-rebuild-at-local-level/article_4e0a9ab4-5193-56ed-8716-5dd4a596298a.html
One 0f those who did was a congressional candidate for the party.
The article suggests that the party has depended on star power for its past success, and when it did not have a star in 2014, it faltered. Lowering the threshold might not have any effect.
When Minneapolis had a Top 2 primary, there was no threshold for party access. A Green Party candidate was elected to the city council under this system, even though the front-runner had majority support in the primary.
The 9th USA Parliament doesn’t have these kinds of problems depicted by the newspaper, the Independence Party of MN and the commentators on this article. We know who the chair of the World Independents is and we’re able to work with her from the top down.
Today we’ve elected our 50th candidate for President of the United States (POTUS) and we’re ready to start working with everyone from all political parties, independents and we know where the road blocks have been erected.
The traditional political parties and independent candidates are using the established two-party system which is in place, and they are all stuck in the same self-destructive pattern we see year after year.
The 9th USA Parliament already is having friendly chats among our members and POTUS candidates. We’re not slowed down with regard to POTUS candidates working in unity.
We’re not a huge organization. But we’re not on track to buy in with the establishment like most political organizations, either.
All of the traditional organizations have already erected road blocks to our team but we’re still able to have a good time and move forward in microscopic steps. If you’re involved in a political party, your group is unlikely able to so much as say “hi” to our 50 POTUS candidates.
We have county candidates in 2015 and POTUS candidates in 2016 who are already trying to build bridges and we invite you to be like us and have your cake and eat it too. You may be involved in pluralistic self-destructive politics and you may also be part of a team with plenty of unifying fuel to burn.
Check out our list of 50 POTUS candidates:
http://www.usparliament.org/pdc.php