On October 6,GBH News hosted a debate on Question Three, the top-two initiative. The chief sponsor, Professor Danielle Edwards, spoke in favor. State Senator Lydia Edwards of Boston, a Democrat who is running for re-election, opposed it. Here is a link to the debate.
Neither debater mentioned that top-two keeps minor party candidates off the November ballot. That has what it has done in California and Washington, for races that have a candidate from both major parties on the primary ballot.
Proponents criticize the small number of candidates who run for legislature and U.S. House in Massachusetts. But no one pointed out that a major reason there are so few candidates are because the ballot access barriers are so steep. But Question Three does nothing to lower those barriers. Professor Allen came close to mentioning the ballot access barriers at minute 23, but she didn’t mention the petition barriers; she mentioned the hurdle that Democratic candidates must show some support at party meetings before they can run, even if they are capable of meeting the petition requirement.
Neither side mentioned that Question Three makes it more difficult for parties to obtain and keep qualified status.
Senator Edwards spoke in favor of legislative term limits, and in favor of Ranked Choice Voting. Professor Allen implied that she is in favor of Ranked Choice voting also.
more/more voters N-O-T voting for ANY Dem commie or GOP fascist.
thus fewer votes esp. if 2 D or 2 R
—-
NOOO primaries
PR
APPV
TOTSOP
https://yeson3ma.org
YES WEBSITE
Massachusetts permits petition candidates to use a ballot designation. Richard Winger does not indicate what parties with a “qualified status” are qualified to do. Are they qualified to fly a helicopter?
For decades I have used the phrase “qualified party” or “ballot-qualified party” to mean an organization that can place its nominee on the general election ballot with no more difficulty than Republicans and Democrats.
In Massachusetts the petition signature gathering is actually more difficult when a political party gains major party status.
The only thing which becomes easier is that state committees of recognized parties have thenoption of placing presidential candidates on the ballot without the presidential candidates having to gather petition signatures, but the petition signature requirements are still mandatory for ballot access every other office.
You’re right, Andy. But if we can only defeat Question Three, there is plenty of room for activism to fix the problem of the difficult petitions for primary candidates. Both sides on the Question Three debate are admitting that the lack of candidates in Massachusetts US House and legislative elections is really bad. As I have said before, Massachusetts is the only state in which most US House races typically have only one candidate on the general election ballot.
It’s going to pass. Hide and watch.
Unlike human beings with sense, the Azz spambot is still programmed to “think” Republicans are more fascist than demon rats nowadays.
Demon rats are aspirationally communist, operationally fascist.
True, Republicans are way less fascist than today’s demon rats. Lincoln might have been a protofascist but not today’s GOP.