Former Congressmember John Conyers died on October 27, at the age of 90. He served in the U.S. House from 1964 until 2017. He was the first member of Congress to ever introduce a federal ballot access bill. He introduced it in 1985, 1987, and 1989. It would have capped the number of signatures for president and U.S. Senate at one-tenth of 1% of the last vote cast, and capped U.S. House petitions at 1,000 signatures.
The bill was never given a vote on the House floor, although in 1989 it did have 40 co-sponsors, including almost all members of the Black caucus. Tne New Alliance Party conceived of the bill in 1984 after running its first presidential nominee, Dennis Serrette, and learning how severe the ballot access laws are in some states. Attorneys for the New Alliance Party, Gary Sinawski and Harry Kresky, helped draft the bill.
Article One of the U.S. Constitution says that congress is permitted to write or supercede state election laws for congressional elections, and congress has passed many laws regulating federal elections. However, ballot access laws are still entirely a matter of state law.
NO BA bill needed IF ANY BA lawyer and BA judge could detect EQUAL in 14-1.
JC won the 1964 Donkey rep gerrymander plurality primary = USA Rep ghetto hack for a mere 52 plus years.
JC perhaps was 1 of the top 5 HACKS so far who added the most $$$ debt in the USA gerrymander regime –
ie now TOTAL bankruptcy pending – possible econ collapse of Western Civilization.
ALL govt deficits CUT the savings for *productive* gross/esp net private domestic investment = CUT jobs, jobs, jobs — regardless of all econ morons [too many to count].
Thus — JC = one more political/economic DESTROYER of Detroit and Western Civilization.
Nice eulogy, Demo Rep!
Sorry. Just the TRUTH about JC —
NOT the major hype in the brain dead media.
Thousands of legis HACKS like JC since 1776.
—
PR and AppV and TOTSOP.
“still” in the last sentence can be interpreted as meaning “up to the present time” or “nevertheless” implying that ballot access is outside the scope of congressional prerogative.
Ballot access can quickly get tied up into party access, so Congress should require that federal elections be entirely separate in time and space. Ballot qualification should be as individual candidates like in California, Washington, and Louisiana. Election day should be in early October, with a runoff in November if necessary. Ballots should be paper only conforming to federal layouts. Since only candidate names are required, they can be in English only.
Voter registration should be a federal matter with federal-issued ID’s, with interstate and overseas voting centers.
Special election should be within 45 days of vacancies.
Again —
1-4 possible Fed election laws — due to failure of many States to send reps to 1775-1787 olde Congresses.
IE – total paralysis —
Gen. Washington became de facto tyrant in 1780-1781 — seized food, etc. to supply the USA Army.
I would glady introduce such a bill, were I in Congress.
I have tried to get ballot access reform bills introduced at the federal and state level.
A big problem is that people may vote Green or Libertarian, but cant be bothered to lobby elected officials.