Time to Open Up Georgia's Repressive Ballot Access Regime, Say Libertarians, Greens and Independents

From the Athens Banner Herald:

Georgia's election law should be changed to allow more third-party candidates, voting machines with paper records and vetting of presidential hopefuls, according to witnesses who spoke at Wednesday's initial meeting of the Georgia Election Advisory Council. . . .



Secretary of State Brian Kemp, whose office oversees elections, conceived the council and appointed its 15 members . . .  Ray Boyd, a real estate developer who tried to run for governor last year as a Republican and then as an independent, dismissed the whole commission as a sham designed for appearances rather than action.

"Brian Kemp is kicking the can down the road, holding his breath," Boyd said.

He blasted Kemp for maintaining laws that make Georgia among the toughest states for independent and third-party candidates to qualify for the ballot. Those comments were echoed by officials from the Libertarian and Green Party as well as independents.

GA Greens: Prison and Sentencing Reform will Save Taxpayer Dollars

From Green Party Watch:

After last week praising Governor Deal’s expressed concern for the wasted lives, drained treasury and depleted workforce left in the wake of the nation’s war on drugs, Georgia Green Party leaders today rejected Deal’s specific proposals.

“None of this will meaningfully impact the budget, end the state’s social control of non-violent and victimless behaviors, nor undermine the racial caste system created by our current policy,” said Hugh Esco, Secretary of the Georgia Green Party. “The state’s disparate enforcement and prosecution of the drug use of working people while ignoring that of wealthy people costs our communities in ways far beyond those mentioned by the Governor the other day. The impacts are as venal as Jim Crow.” . . . .

GA: Greens Call on Governor to Act on Prison Reform, Oppose Mass Incarceration Policies

From the Green Party:

"I am so encouraged to hear Governor Deal acknowledge both the stark statistics and something of the devastation which mass incarceration wreaks on Georgia communities," said Denice Traina, past cochair of the Georgia Green Party, mother, grandmother and Augusta based physical therapist. "We're eager to hear today's State of the State, hoping that Governor Deal will use the occasion to propose policies that apply the principals of restorative justice, rather than our failed policies of punishment and social control. Rehabilitation, education and vocational opportunities can help us keep folks working and families together. All Georgians win with those policies!"

"Greens are eager to see how Governor Deal intends to translate his concern for the wasted lives, drained treasury and depleted workforce into public policy," said Al Herman, Treasurer of the Georgia Green Party, DeKalb County resident and board member for Georgia NORML, the Georgia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijauna Laws, "Greens welcome the Governor's acknowledgement of the debilitating costs of mass incarceration, and would like an opportunity to help craft the policies which can reverse the tragic course set by his predecessors which have decimated communities across Georgia to feed our commitment to mass incarceration."

Ms. Traina and Mr. Herman are responding to incoming Governor Nathan Deal's remarks to the General Assembly on Monday, acknowledging that one in thirteen adult Georgians are under state control. He stated that "It costs about $3 million per day to operate our department of corrections. As a state, we cannot afford to have so many of our citizens waste their lives because of addictions. It is draining our state treasury and it is depleting our workforce."

GA: Libertarians Lay Out Legislative Prioritiesfor 2011

From the Weekly:

The Libertarian Party of Georgia announced their focused priorities for the 2011 legislative session. With four major areas of focus, Tax Reform, Budget Process Reform, Election Reform, and defeating the Prescription Monitoring Act, the third largest political party in Georgia lays out how they hope to influence the legislative session that begins January 10th. Available on the Party's website, LPGeorgia.com, a four page document outlines their focus for the session.

"Georgia faces serious problems in the areas of taxation and spending, and the people of Georgia deserve serious solutions," said the Party's Legislative Director, Jeff Sexton . . .

GA: Greens "Demand Answers" on Brutal Treatment of Striking Inmates

From the Green Party:

In a New Year's Eve letter sent to Governors Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal, officers of the Georgia Green Party asked why the Georgia Department of Corrections withheld from Terrance Dean's family news of his condition and whereabouts. The letter asks that they "launch an investigation into whether the DoC's apparent efforts to conceal (Mr. Dean's) condition rises to the level of a criminal conspiracy". Reports conveyed by other Macon State Prison inmates and their families have revealed that on or about the 16th of December, as striking inmates were beginning to return to work, employees of the Corrections Department beat and injured the former Bibb County resident serving his seventh year on a 16 year sentence for armed robbery.

"The violent response to the inmates peaceful, non-violent strike is shameful," said Bruce Dixon, Press Secretary for the Georgia Green Party and managing editor for the weekly BlackAgendaReport.com. "Prison inmates deserve wages for work, educational and self-improvement activities, decent food and medical care. The state should facilitate, rather than obstruct contact with their families. They deserve human rights and a clear path back to being productive members of society. The institutional human rights abuses exposed by the peaceful prisoners strike severely compromise the moral authority of Georgia's correctional system."

Information obtained by the coalition suggests that Mr. Dean was assaulted by state employees in the aftermath of the inmate sit down strike.. . . .

GA: Ballot Access Case May Go to Supreme Court

From Atlanta Progressive News:

The lawsuit challenging Georgia's ballot access law requiring a five percent petition for non-statewide independent and political body candidates, brought by Faye Coffield, an independent candidate for Georgia's 4th Congressional District in 2008, has been appealed to the Supreme Court of the US.

A Petition for Writ of Certiorari was filed in the case, Faye Coffield v. Brian Kemp, on November 02, 2010.

The question presented by the petition is, "Whether the Eleventh Circuit erred in declining to rule that Georgia's 5% petitioning requirement for non-major party candidates for the United States House of Representatives is unconstitutionally burdensome, given that no such candidate has met the requirement since 1964 and no minor party candidate has ever met it." . . .

GA: Greens Urge Negotiation in Standoff with Striking Prison Inmates

A press release from the Green Party:

Georgia Green Party leadership today are urging that calls of concern be placed to the Georgia Department of Corrections urging negotiations with, not retribution against peaceful strikers in six Georgia prisons.

In a call to action and a blog post, the Party publishes the demands of striking prisoners and urges a humanitarian response. Inmate grievances range from the criminal neglect they suffer for lack of adequate health care, meals heavy on starches and short of vegetables, over crowded conditions in facilities which fail to protect from the extremes of Georgia's climate, the barriers created to family visits and phone contact, among other specifics laid out in the press release available on the site.

In an action which is unprecedented on several levels, black, brown and white inmates of Georgia's notorious state prison system are standing together for an historic one day peaceful strike today, during which they are remaining in their cells, refusing work and other assignments and activities.

"This is a groundbreaking event not only because inmates are standing up for themselves and their own human rights," said Bruce Dixon, Press Secretary of the Georgia Green Party, "but because prisoners are setting an example by reaching across racial boundaries which, in prisons, have historically been used to pit oppressed communities against each other."

GA: Four Reasons for "Unprecendented" Libertarian Success at the Ballot Box

From Savannah Now:

Surveying the results, state party chief Daniel Adams called them a base "with which to move forward." Maybe, but it's a slender base, and the Libertarians have a long way to go before they can really compete with the major parties. Credit them for energy and skill, but four other things also helped them do better at the polls this year.

First, the greater number of televised debates that included Monds - who often did well - gained him and his party unprecedented exposure.

Second, speculation that he might siphon off enough votes to deprive the frontrunner a majority and force a runoff drew additional attention.

Third, Monds was an alternative for people who didn't like Deal or Barnes.

Last, the Libertarians seeking other offices faced long odds, but - except in the U.S. Senate race - not as long as they might have been.

Sure, voters knew almost nothing about them, but they knew little more about the major-party hopefuls, except for GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson.

GA: Libertarians Field an Historic Slate of Candidates

From the AJC:

The Georgia Libertarian Party, for the first time, has a candidate for every statewide race. Leaders say membership has grown by 30 percent. In supporting John Monds, the party has put the first African-American on the ballot for governor. . . .

GA-Gov: Libertarian John Monds in Television Interview for Fox Atlanta

Link from My Fox Atlanta, sent in by reader Chris:

John Monds is a stay-at-home dad, who is home-schooling his children. Monds is also hoping to make history as a Libertarian party candidate for governor.  Monds made Libertarian party history two years ago when he got more than a million votes in a Georgia public service commission race.  Now, Monds is striving for another breakthrough based on a message about the role of government.

GA: Libertarian Party Fields Full Slate of Candidates for First Time

From the Gainesville Times:

Though all the election talk has centered on the battle of Republicans vs. Democrats, 2010 is a big year for the Libertarian Party of Georgia.For the first time in its history, the party has a candidate on the ballot in each of the statewide races, said Brett Bittner, the operations director for the Libertarian Party of Georgia.

"We've seen tremendous growth in the party in the last two years especially as people have been more disenchanted with the two established parties," Bittner said. "We're already seeing records waiting to be set for the Libertarian Party of Georgia."

GA Libertarian John Monds: "Vote Your Conscience"

From Kyle Wingfield of the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

John Monds wants you to know that you can have your vote and like it, too. Monds is the Libertarian running for governor. That role, for as long as it’s existed in this state, has been seen as little more than a spoiler: Think of national candidates (but not Libertarians) like Ross Perot in 1992, or Ralph Nader in 2000.

But this year in Georgia, Monds told me Wednesday, “people are pretty much resigned [to the fact] that there’s going to be a runoff. … “So, if they believe eventually they may be saddled with one of the two [other] parties, they can save that vote for the runoff. But the first go-around, they should definitely vote their conscience, or vote for the candidate that they want or against the candidates that they don’t want.”

Of course, in order to "vote your conscience" you have to have a conscience first.  And judging from their voting records, it is not entirely clear that this is the case for a great many Republicans and Democrats.  

GA: Republicans Whine About Libertarian Party, Argue Against Political Choice and Competition

From Red State:

Some Georgia Libertarians with a bully pulpit are savaging Republican Governor nominee Nathan Deal and helping his Democrat opponent, Roy Barnes, in the process. In their minds, it’s for the greater good — a chance to legitimize and make official the Libertarian party in the state while punishing Deal for beating their favored Republican candidate in the run-off.

If the choice is between Republican Nathan Deal, along with his Nazi sympathizers, and Libertarian John Monds, well, the choice is easy.

GA: Online Nazi Community Demonstrates Longtime Support for Republican Gubernatorial Candidate

From a post at Poli-Tea on an ongoing flap between Republican and Libertarian activists in Georgia:

Though it does not follow from [the Libertarian] Bittner's comment that "Nathan Deal and everyone associated with the Georgia Republican Party are white supremacist Naizs because they’re against illegal immigration," as the Republican pundit alleges, in the present context it is worth noting that white supremacists and Nazis do support Republican gubernatorial candidate Nathan Deal because he is against illegal immigration. If, as I've documented before, the Communist Party and Communist Party front groups support the Democrats, does not a "fair and balanced" assessment of the major parties demand investigation of Nazi support for Republicans? A search of the web forum Stormfront demonstrates longtime support for Republican Nathan Deal in the white supremacist and Nazi community . . .

Read the whole thing.

GA: Is Libertarian John Monds Polling 20% Support? Three Cases of Pollster Bias against Third Party Candidates

From Jack Wagner at the Free Independent Sun, via SWGA Politics:

I noticed something quite disturbing when studying recent polling for elections around the country. Rasmussen Reports will include upwards of 6 or 7 candidates in the Democrat and Republican Primaries, sometimes with candidates that only receive 1% of the vote, yet when it comes to the General Election they will only include the two Democrat-Republican candidates despite there being sometime upwards of 3 or 4 other candidates from Third Party Nominations or Independent Nominations. This case is most present and most dangerous in a particular Governor’s election in Georgia, where the African-American Libertarian Candidate John Monds is left out of General Election polls despite having won 33.4% in a statewide election in 2008, and apparently the most likely winner of the 15- 20% of unaccounted votes in Rasmussen Polls.

The Following Images Reveal Irregularities in Rasmussen, and Mainstream, Polling Practices that have an obvious impact on the outcome of Elections and the ability for Third-Party and Independent Candidates to gain support and exposure . . .

The piece goes on to document, in three particular cases, the well known fact that polling organizations show a demonstrable bias against third party and independent candidates. It concludes:

This does Two Major things:

1. This influences elections in favor of Democrat-Republican candidates, in effect, subverting the Democratic Process. This Polling Technique undermines candidates that challenge the Democrat-Republican monopoly on Government, and reinforces the false dogma that only Democrat and Republican candidates can win. In conjunction with unbalanced ballot-registration laws, closed debates and the lack of Instant Run-Off voting, have effectively brought our “democratic system” in par with that of the U.S.S.R. or Communist China.
2. It makes the poll invalid. This poll is not legit, because it is weighed in favor of specific candidates. It is not a scientific evaluation of public opinion, because it manipulates reaction by supplementing “other” for specific candidates names, and irregularly including and excluding candidates based on level of support; all in favor of the two-establishment parties. Rasmussen Reports are a fraud. They are not scientific polls, but instead are propaganda for special interests. Whether the organization is instructed or influenced into conducting its polls in this fashion, or do so on their own accord, these “Reports” are used to maintain exclusive power over government by two partner-private groups.

What You Can Do

Write and Call Rasmussen Reports and Demand that John Monds, LeAlan Jones and Tom Clements be Named in future Polls.

GA: The Only Wasted Vote is a Vote for a Republican or a Democrat

From Chuck Donovan, GA Libertarian candidate for US Senate:

ATLANTA, GA – August 3, 2010 – On July 20th, Georgians went to the polls to vote in the state primary elections.  Absent from the primary ballots were the Libertarian Party candidates, who were chosen at the party’s state convention in April.

The Donovan for Senate Campaign wants to remind voters that there are more than just two candidates running in 2010.  While Johnny Isakson and Michael Thurmond have recently received their respective parties nomination, Chuck Donovan has been on the campaign trail for several months.

“People keep asking me about wasted votes” says Chuck Donovan.  “I ask them if they voted Republican, did they get what they voted for?  Were your representation been fiscally responsible?  Did they balance the budget?”

Johnny Isakson voted for the controversial Wall Street Bailout in 2008, unfunded mandates, and pork. “I ask Democrats the same question,” says Chuck.  “Now that President Obama is has not ended the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan like he promised, has decided to keep the detention center at Guantanamo Bay open, and has bailed out Wall Street a second time, do you think you are getting what you voted for?”

GA: Libertarians Get Behind John Monds for Governor

Jonathan Raof at Libertarian Viewpoint profiles Libertarian candidate for governor of Georgia, John Monds:

The 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election will take place on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Republican Governor Sonny Perdue is term-limited and unable to seek re-election. Primary elections for the Republican and Democratic Parties will take place this July, and runoff elections, if necessary, will be held two weeks later. Rasmussen Reports views the race as a toss-up; this is good because…The Libertarian Party also has ballot access!

2010 candidate for Georgia’s governorship, John Monds, has a background in banking and finance, is a strong proponent for sound money, and, like the majority of people in Georgia, supports the sale of alcohol on Sunday.

John Monds became the first Libertarian Party candidate in Georgia and the rest of the United States to receive over 1,000,000 votes when he ran for the Statewide office of Public Service Commission District 1 seat in 2008. Monds received 1,076,726 votes for 33.4% of the vote in a two-way race with only a Republican opponent. His vote total was highest number of votes that a Libertarian candidate has ever received in a United States election at any level, Monds also received the highest percentage of the vote ever for a Libertarian in a statewide race.

“We must be competitive in the 21st Century. We must have meaningful tax reforms that allow businesses and individuals to thrive,” Monds said. “A transportation system that eases congestion without raising taxes, an education system that gives more choices and returns control to the local level and we need to stop wasting the taxpayer’s money with mandated long term incarceration of individuals for non-violent victimless infractions of the law.”

GA: Libertarian Party Running a Slate of 12 Candidates

From Bludgeon and Skewer:

History, baby, History.

A great day for all Georgians occurred today, the Libertarian Party of Georgia qualified a complete slate of statewide candidates for the first time. We picked up some earned media over at the AJC's Georgia Elections Central and I just had to throw in my 2 cents. The readership is encouraged to participate.

Greetings All,

It's a fine day for Liberty here in the great state of Georgia as the Libertarian Party has qualified a complete slate of statewide candidates for this this fall's historic elections and now begins the herculean task of acquainting Georgia voters with their names and views on the issues of the day.

GA: Undecided Leads Georgia GOP Primary by Wide Margin

From Bludgeon and Skewer:

Perennial favorite, Undecided, clobbered his competition in the latest Insider Advantage/WSB TV-3 poll released yesterday. This unsung, unfunded and non existent candidate picked up 8% from his April poll position which pegged him at 31% to a dominating 39% in this latest survey.

Undecided's surge to the lead over actual republicans John Oxendine, Nathan "Stinky" Deal and Karen Handel was attributed to the increased TV news presence of candidates causing concern and confusion among likely republican primary voters. The more they see of the choices they have, the less they like it.

GA: Constitution Party Recommends Support for Libertarian Candidate

From Bludgeon and Skewer:

ATLANTA, GA – Delegates to the state convention for The Constitution Party of Georgia unanimously passed a motion recommending that its members and supporters strongly consider supporting Libertarian David Chastain for the Office of Secretary of State in the 2010 Georgia elections.


Party chairman Ricardo Davis explained the reason for the recommendation: “David is the only candidate in the race who has worked for verifiable voting in Georgia, for removal of petitioning requirements that keep third party candidates off the ballot and for preserving Constitutional rights of the people during elections investigations. These are all issues of great concern to our party members. His efforts to date have also been on a volunteer basis at no cost to Georgia taxpayers.” . . .