We
never needed the Buy My Ballot Spot (2014 SB 54) for someone to get on
the ballot if they didn't want to go though the parties. Just get 300
signatures from their friends or 1000 signatures for a state wide race
and go directly to the General Election as an Unaffiliated Candidate.
The Buy My Ballot Spot with paid signature gatherers favors the rich and famous. Why do they need State Mandated help?
My
Poll Results from respondents. Survey was sent to all active voters in House
District 30 in West Valley City in January 2016 (not just one party)
A
federal judge has ruled that a portion of the law that passed in 2014,
SB 54 Elections Amendments, is not constitutional for two political
parties, the Utah Republican and the Utah Constitution parties. This
part of the law requires the political parties allow voters who were not
members of their party to select their party’s nominee. Because of that
ruling, candidates of the Utah Constitution Party cannot use the
optional signature route to get on the party primary ballot. (They don’t
have enough members). They are OK with the ruling because they didn’t
want the State telling their Party how to select its nominees.
Voters
can only sign one candidate petition per race but might be able to sign
a form to remove their signature, if they act fast enough, and sign
someone else’s petition.
In some areas of the State, there are
not enough registered Republican Party voters to make the signature
party nominee route fair. Candidates using the signature route likely
will have to register to do so prior to the legislative session and then
all candidates will register after the legislative session. If someone
decides to run for Party Nominee after the legislative session, there is
almost no time to gather signatures.
The
Utah Republican Party, who wasn’t part of the “compromise” is still
contesting the law in court. A special legislative session to fix the
law based on the court ruling was not called by the Governor.
30% The legislature should provide minor fixes of the current election law and see what happens in 2016.
53% The
legislature should repeal this petition law because the court’s ruling
has caused the law to become unfair to some candidates in some political
parties.
17% It is too late for the legislature to do
anything this election year, but I will not be signing any signature
party nominee petitions this year.
(Disclaimer,
I have personally fought the signature party nominee route because I
believe it favors the incumbents, the rich and the famous. While I [was]
an incumbent and plan on running for [election] after the legislative
session though the neighborhood caucus and convention system, I am NOT
also using the signature route because I do not believe that route is
fair).
