The Democratic Party has filed a state court lawsuit to remove the Green Party from the Montana ballot, even though everyone agrees that the party’s petition for party status this year had enough valid signatures. Also the party has already participated in the June 2020 primary. The Democratic Party obtained a list of voters who had signed the petition, and asked them to remove their names from the petition. At issue is whether enough people made that request by the deadline. Even the deadline itself is murky. See this story. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.
The logical consequence of plurality voting. If there are more than two choices, the chances of someone getting elected with less than a majority is always a possibility. So, the temptation to create faux parties, and/or run faux candidates to frustrate the other major party is always a temptation. So what do major parties do in such situations? Limit voter choice as much a possible so as effectively to exclude any third option. It’s plurality voting that’s the problem, stupid. Ranked choice or approval voting would minimize these problems.
Except the Green Party isn’t a faux party Walter. What happened here was a hijacking of our party’s ballot line in Montana that actual Greens would have petitioned to create for our Presidential candidate anyway. That’s quite a difference.
Well. then it was a hijacking of a party for the purpose of running faux candidates, basically for the same purpose of abusing the plurality voting system to some other party’s or candidates’ benefit.
How many RED communist Donkey cases to remove Greens ???
How many black fascist Elephant cases to remove LPs ???
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PR and AppV — pending Condorcet
TOTSOP
None on the second. I think the republicans have figured the l.p. Is helping them and hurting democrats more anymore.
Walter,
Even when third parties are perfectly fair and legitimate, certain people will want to get rid of them even if the parties help them get elected. It’s all a power grab by the major parties. Of course, this needn’t happen if they brought back Fusion Voting Nationwide, but the main parties would never allow anything that might even slightly diminish their power.
The solution is to eliminate state organization and recognition of nominations.
Individuals would still be able to organize in political parties, just as they freely organize church congregations, or civic clubs. Organization can be around a cause or a candidate or an election.
In Montana candidates for a legislative primary qualify by paying the $15 filing fee (which may be waived for those unable to pay). This should be extended to ALL candidates, along with Top 2.
Democrat Party = Fascist
I thought my opinion of that particular cancerous tumor of the twin-party system couldn’t get lower.
IMO, it should be up to the parties whether or not to nominate fusion candidates. Whose party is it, anyway? The states shouldn’t restrict it.
@WZ,
That would require the state to determine which person represents the corporate body of a “party”, and whether they should be entitled to have their label appear on the ballot.
If people from different factions wish to work together in support of an individual candidate under Top 2, they may do so.