On June 22 or 23, Edee Baggett died. She was the head of National Ballot Access, a long-time paid petitioning firm. Her firm had helped minor party and independent candidates get on ballots in at least since 2008, and perhaps earlier. She was working on a drive in Maine when she died. Her death was a shock to those who knew her. Thanks to Christina Tobin for this news.
Did you ever do an article about Daryl Bonner passing away?
RIP to an actual champion of American democracy
RIP to a great unappreciated American.
Glad to see she is receiving recognition but sad about the event that caused it.
I worked with Edee Baggett in several states (Indiana, Arkansas, Nebraska and California). I had positive experiences working with her.
She was in Maine as a subcoordinator for the Cornel West for President petition which was in the process of wrapping up at the time of her passing.
She also was a coordinator on some ballot initiative petitions that are going in Arkansas right now (she left somebody in charge in Arkansas while she was in Maine).
Edee’s husband, Russ, got involved in working petitions sometime in the 1980’s. They were living in Oklahoma at the time, where they are originally from. Edee got involved sometime after that through Russ.
They dropped out of the petition business from sometime in 2002-2006 when they opened up a restaurant in or near Atlanta, Georgia. The restaurant business is difficult and they received offers to return to the petition business so they shut down the restaurant and returned to the petition business in 2006 and have been in it to the present.
They mostly worked on ballot initiative petitions, but they did work on other types of petitions, including some for ballot access for minor party and independent candidates.
Rest in Peace, Mary Edith “Edee” Baggett.
Comrade Paul,
I did not know either Comrade Boner or Comrade Baggit well at all – barely even met either one – but I do know he was a big Afro American spermperson, and she was a Caucasian wombperson.
If both don’t get equal coverage, that’s, like, um, totally not fair!
I have not checked the archives here to answer your actual question, baby doll. But anyone else can do that just ad easily, so y’all don’t need me for that.
RIP to both, and condolences to surviving friends and family! Don’t mourn, organize!
I forgot to mention above that I also worked with Edee Baggett in Virginia as well as the other states I mentioned above.
Comrade Andy,
Thank you for your service.
FYI, it is actually Edee Baggett with two letter e’s and not ie at the end.
https://ballotpedia.org/Edee_Baggett
Good catch!