Two Colorado Republican legislators, Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer and Representative Mary Bradfield, have introduced SB23-101. Current law gives candidates of major parties two methods to get on a primary ballot. Either they win substantial support at a party meeting, or they petition on to the primary ballot. The bill eliminates the first path.
The bill also changes nominating procedures for qualified minor parties, and eliminates their ability to nominate by convention. Instead, each person who wants a minor party nomination must submit a burdensome petition. If only one candidate from any particular party submits a petition for a particular office, that person is deemed to be nominated. But if two or more candidates submit petitions for the same office, a primary is held for the minor party for that office. Thanks to Caryn Ann Harlos for this news.
EQUAL BALLOT ACCESS –
NOM PETS/FEES
—
NOOO CAUCUSES/ PRIMARIES/CONVENTIONS
ONE ELECTION DAY
PR
APPV
TOTSOP
Once a party achieves ballot status, whatever its size, it should be considered to “own” its line on the ballot, and should be able to specify its own rules for how a candidate achieves its nomination.
PUBLIC NOMINATIONS FOR PUBLIC OFFICERS BY PUBLIC ELECTORS/VOTERS.
SORRY — NOOO INDEPENDENT SUB-EMPIRES OF MONARCHS/OLIGARCHS IN THE USA.
4-4 RFG
You are correct about one election day. On that evening, voters should physically stand in one and only one party’s corner, in the manner of a caucus, so there would be no approval voting. The winning party picks officeholders and substitutes them out as they wish until the next election. All voting would be in person, not secret, but standing up in a Party corner on election night. If you can’t do that, or don’t want to – stay home. Far, far too many people are allowed to vote as it is.
There would be no proportional representation or separation of powers whatsoever. The winning party gets to make all the laws, change who the lawmakers are, and pick all the law enforcement officers until the next election. If voters think they made a mistake in which party they chose, they should remember that on election night of the following year.