On September 18, Russia held a parliamentary election. Fifteen parties were on the ballot, and four of them won seats. One of the foreign election observers was Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill. See this story about his observations on the Russian election.
Merrill is presiding over the Alabama general election of November 8, 2016. Alabama’s election this year gives voters far fewer choices, and fewer due process protections, than almost any other state in the United States. Alabama is one of only two states in which the Democratic and Republican Parties are the only two parties on the ballot; the other state is Tennessee. Alabama forces the two leading minor party presidential candidates, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein, to appear on the ballot without their party label.
Alabama disqualified the third presidential candidate who petitioned as an independent, Rocky De La Fuente, on August 27, after having told him he had enough valid signatures and that his petition was valid. The late decision to remove him is being contested in court, with a decision expected on Friday, September 30.
The Alabama Libertarian Party had petitioned for party status in one county this year, but even though the party submitted twice as many signatures and double-checked its own petition and found it valid, Jefferson County officials said it was not valid. The county officials did not even tell the party why its petition had been rejected. The party considered suing but in the end did not find an attorney.
I’ve been reading Ballot Access News for over 20 years, in print and then later online. And this is the kind of item I like least — the kind that implies that elections in places such as Russia or Iran are freer than those in the U.S.
I do not imply that. The only characteristic of Russia that I mentioned involves the fact that voters had 15 parties to choose from on their ballots. I know there are other horribly undemocratic characteristics of Russian elections.
How can you read Ballot Access News for 20 years and still think U.S. elections are “free elections”?
The 14 “parties” on the ballot were prequalified. No party that would have had to qualify by petition was able to do so.
@Scott: I didn’t refer to U.S. elections as “free elections.” I just said that the ones in Russia are should not be portrayed as freer than those in the U.S.
@Richard: Thank you for the clarification.
Who paid for this trip
And why has the net been scrubbed of the common knowledge that Merrill’s mentor was… wait for it
Bill Clinton