Rhode Island Senator David Bates (R-Barrington) has agreed to introduce a bill in 2009 that lowers the petition for a new political party from 5% of the last vote cast, to 1% of the last vote cast. Senator Bates has been in the Senate since 1992 and is the Deputy Minority Leader.
The Rhode Island petition to create a new party did not exist until 1994, and it has never been used. Besides requiring a very high number of signatures (currently, 23,489 signatures), it is illegal to circulate the petition during an odd year.
Rhode Island also allows a new party to become ballot-qualified if it runs a candidate for President or Governor using the independent procedure (which allow a partisan label), and if that candidate polls 5%. The only three ballot-qualified parties in Rhode Island in the last 80 years have been the Reform Party, the Cool Moose Party, and the Green Party. Ross Perot did the 1,000-signature petition for president in 1996. Because he got over 5%, that created a ballot-qualified Reform Party. The Cool Moose Party got its ballot-qualified status by running Robert J. Healey for Governor as an independent in 1994 under the Cool Moose label. Healey polled over 5% in both 1994 and again in 1998, so the Cool Moose Party enjoyed qualified status for eight years. The Green Party enjoyed qualified status for four years because Ralph Nader polled over 5% in 2000.
Ken Block, leader of the Rhode Island Moderate Party, is the activist who persuaded Senator Bates to introduce the 2009 bill.
Rhode Island is one of the few active and sound SPOs that the Reform Party seems to have.
Jake: you would think so. Maybe with Ken Brock, the Moderate Party local at its head.
For years ‘Little Rhodie’ has been been the site of the Reform Party do nothings, the Greenwood Family. It was pa pa Bill whom forwarded the 2005 article summission on the Israeli ‘Defense’ Force on the non combatant American sailors and the USS Liberty communications vessel.
Dozens died and were injured by Six Star planes and ships. In California, rouge Super Jew, Isreal First Agents Provacatuer John Blare and [co founder of Citizens For A Better Veterans Home] John ‘Never Tell the Same Story Twice’ Coffey hooked up with Christain Zionist John Bambey to block and kill the Reform Party USA monthly print news letter and house organ! Soon the national blog disappeared!
Even though [the] Greenwood[s] bad mouth[s] Valli Sharpe Geisler, New York under the table deal maker Frank MacKay, and West Coast Jewish Fascists, he/ they still ‘play ball’ with the 21st Century Gangers. [May be, even though they killed the news letter, blog, and his friend’s Liberty Attack story, thinks they are the only game in town?]
Ah, freedom of speech! Such a terrifying instrument to thugs and domestic terrorists! Long live the embattled and bruised first amendment!
DonLake@ymail.com, ‘used, abused, not amused’