Montana requires all qualified parties to nominate by primary. According to this story, both candidates in the upcoming Green Party U.S. Senate primary are really acting on behalf of one of the two major parties. Dennis Daneke, one of the two candidates, says if he wins the primary, afterwards he will withdraw, because he supports the Democratic Party and doesn’t want a Green candidate on the general election ballot for U.S. Senate. The other Green primary candidate for U.S. Senate, by implication, is running because in her heart she favors the Republican Party, and she wants a Green on the November ballot.
The Green Party says neither candidate is a bona fide Green. If the state allowed small qualified parties to nominate by convention, then the Green Party would have control over whether or not it wants to run someone for U.S. Senate. A convention is always free to decide to run no one for a particular office. This is one more example of why mandatory primaries for small qualified parties are a bad idea.
NOOOO extremist party hack caucuses, primaries and conventions.
ONLY nom pets for INDIVIDUAL candidates.
ONE Election Day per year.
PR
APPV
TOTSOP
Ranked choice voting would minimize the motivation to nominate insincere candidates.
Excellent point about why conventions are a better method. Sometimes no one is the best choice.
It applies most to third parties, but even the two major parties have been embarrassed by people jumping into a uncontested or a low-voter-knowledge primary.
@ eeyn: There are pros and cons to nominating by convention. Remember that the primary system grew out of frustration with party conventions passing over popular candidates for nominations. IMO, if a party chooses to nominate solely by convention – which, IMO, is their right based on free association – there ought to be a processes by which frustrated party candidates can get on the general election ballot without party endorsement – provided that either ranked choice or approval voting is used in the general election to minimize the fearsome “spoilers”
Adding a NOTA option onto primary ballots would also solve the problem
They should be able to do so as independent candidates by getting rid of sore loser laws, early signature deadlines and high requirements but they shouldn’t be entitled to a party label if the party doesn’t endorse it.
Condorcet = RCV done right.
Why should the state recognize party nominations at all?
In the 2016 gubernatorial election, 509,360 votes were cast. 0.1% of that is 510.
If someone wants to run for statewide office let them have 510 supporters gather at county courthouses across the state. All qualifying candidates are on the ballot. A majority is needed for election. If no candidate receives a majority, then the Top 2, plus any other candidates who receive 15% advance to a second round. Any candidate other than leader may withdraw. A second round can be won by plurality.
Here’s a novel thought, Montana Greens – actually run your own candidate.
You may not support these folks, but at least they aren’t letting a ballot spot go to waste, or having it decided by party insiders instead of the voters.
You snooze you lose. Run someone you support, or quit bellyaching.
Not having the state recognize party nominations just helps the biggest parties which have the resources to get out the word about who their nominees are. Smaller parties without such resources are disadvantaged. It also helps the voters as it helps them have some idea of what the candidate stands for due to the party which nominated them using a convention or privately funded primary. There again most won’t except for the most well funded candidates.
Not printing party labels will also give more power to media, ballot order games, and incumbents, along with the largest parties and wealthiest and most well connected candidates. As we can see from already existing nonpartisan races such as local and judicial races it doesn’t actually get rid of de facto partisanship.
@Bob,
How is that different than before the time there were government-printed ballots? Parties could either print their own ballots, or actively campaign for votes.
There weren’t really secret ballots. Vote buying and intimidation were rampant.