PA: Local Push for Independent Judges and a More Diverse Bench

From the Standard Speaker:

Denouncing the Luzerne County court system for a "horrifying" lack of diversity, attorney and activist Harry Hamilton said Thursday he would circulate nominating petitions for a potential independent run for judge.

"I can't talk about change, I can't talk about bringing color to the courthouse and not recognize or realize that I'm a qualified judicial candidate, if nominated," Hamilton said, after addressing about a group of two-dozen supporters in the courthouse rotunda . . .

Hamilton, 49, said he must collect about 800 signatures by an Aug. 1 deadline in order to secure a position in the Nov. 8 general election. If he runs, he would join seven other candidates vying for six open seats, including five nominated on both the Democratic and Republican ballots. Hamilton said he considered running in the May primary, but wanted to divorce himself from the partisanship of the two-party system.

"In order to remove the taint, if you will, a judicial candidate should be independent of a particular party," Hamilton said. "I had to set aside the rhetoric, if you will, of what might be the best party to run with and for because I believe firmly that, when it comes to judicial office, you should be independent." . . .

PA: Libertarians Get the Runaround from Clueless Democrat-Republican Bureaucrats

From the Times Leader:

The head of the Pennsylvania Libertarian Party has issued a release blasting Luzerne County Election Bureau Director Leonard Piazza and the state election office for failing to provide written verification on the type of paperwork needed for the party’s candidates to get on the November ballot.

The confusion stems from the party’s new designation as a minor political party in the county, based on the vote tallies of Libertarian candidates in the 2010 election. Every year, the state requires counties to certify political parties – the major parties and any minor political parties, Piazza said. That certification was submitted around February without listing the Libertarian Party as a minor party, he said.

Libertarians met with Piazza in March and pointed out that the party should be designated a minor political party in the certification based on the election results, and Piazza said he concurred. Piazza said he amended the certification adding the Libertarian Party and submitted it to the state last month . . .

But Pennsylvania Libertarian Party Chairman Lou Jasikoff said a state election legal adviser contacted him and informed him that a different document known as a political body nomination paper might be required for signatures gathered by Libertarian candidates before the amended certification was submitted to the state. Political body nomination papers are used for candidates from parties that are not designated minor political parties by a county, Jasikoff said . . .

Greens: Cobb Endorses Honkala for Sheriff of Philly

From Cheri Honkala, a letter from David Cobb:

Dear Fellow Green Party members,

Remember the excitement of the Nader/LaDuke 2000 campaign?  How about the enthusiasm generated when Matt Gonzalez ran for Mayor of San Francisco as a Green and damned near won?

I am writing to you because I think we have the opportunity to recapture that sense of momentum and optimism for our party by supporting Cheri Honkala for Sheriff of Philadelphia.

Cheri is a long-distance runner for social justice.  I have personally known of her work as an activist for years, and was pleased to learn she was turning her activism toward electoral politics.  When I learned she was running as a Green, I was thrilled!

Cheri is a formerly homeless mother who worked her way out of poverty. She went on to form the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, and has become a national leader in the fight for economic fairness in this country.  She has been profiled in The Nation, Mother Jones named her a “Hell Raiser of the Month and Ms. Magazine awarded her “Woman of the Year” in 2001.

And it’s not just her credentials as an activist that has me so jazzed—it’s her keen sense of strategy, her commitment to movement building, and the multi-racial coalition of organized labor leaders, peace and justice activists, young people, and Greens she is bringing together.

And get this—in Philadelphia the main job of the Sheriff is to serve evictions and foreclosures.  Cheri’s campaign message?

NO EVICTIONS!
NO FORECLOSURES!
EVERYBODY STAYS IN THEIR HOMES!
Sisters and Brothers, this is genius! . . . 

PA: Republican Party Judge is Declared Enemy of Free Elections

From Politics PA:

Both the Pennsylvania Green and Libertarian Party representatives slammed the GOP’s choice for Superior Court judge, Vic Stabile, citing his efforts as a Republican party official to knock third party candidates off of ballots in PA.

The Pennsylvania Libertarian Party chair Lou Jasikoff called it “shameful.” . . . “Mr. Stabile led the charge to get Libertarians knocked off the ballot in 2008 and was recently quoted as being pleased by efforts to keep the Green and Libertarian Parties from appearing on the statewide 2010 ballot." . . .

Candidates from several third parties expressed their displeasure at Stabile. Carl Romanelli, the US Senate candidate in 2006 for the Pennsylvania Green Party, has long contended that his own removal from the ballot could not have been accomplished without the aid of partisan judges.

“The last defense of democracy and the Constitution is the judiciary. When it is corrupted or co-opted, it represents the most significant threat to the principles that once made America the grand protector of liberty,” said Romanelli. “The lack of meaningful review reflects as poorly on justice in Pennsylvania as does Stabile’s blatant obstruction of our rights. It is sad to think that the cradle of democracy, Pennsylvania, has now become its graveyard.”

Wayne Allyn Root, the 2008 Vice-Presidential candidate on the Libertarian ticket, stated that Mr. Stabile’s actions not to be tolerated. He called them “Unamerican”

PA: Party Voting Promotes Ignorance

From Centre Daily:

Title 25, Section 2963 of the Pennsylvania Statutes requires that election ballots enable voters to vote straight party. This is a bad idea for several reasons . . . 

The straight-party or straight-ticket option discriminates against independent and small-party candidates. Not only does the ballot present two places where the voter may vote for major-party candidates, but if the voter opts for the straightparty option, he or she may never see the listing for the independent candidate.

Independent candidates face an additional obstacle. The petition requirements for party candidates to get on the ballot are a lot less than for independents. For example, the 2012 signature requirements for a party candidate are 300 versus 473 for an independent for the 77th Legislative District (Scott Conklin’s seat); and 1,000 versus 3,111 for the 5th Congressional District. The discrimination against independents should not surprise anyone. Democrats and Republicans made these laws.

I know we’re just coming to the primaries, but let me leave you with two thoughts. First, before the November elections, Pennsylvania should join the majority of states and eliminate straight-party voting. Second, in case that doesn’t happen, if you haven’t familiarized yourself with the candidates, don’t showcase your ignorance by voting a straight ticket.

PA: County Controller Declares Political Independence, First Such Independent or Third Party Official in Over a Century

From the Republican Herald:

County Controller Melinda Kantner is leaving the Democratic Party. During a fundraising event Friday night at Blu Tavern Restaurant, Kantner announced she'd be seeking re-election as an Independent. "I was an Independent before I ran for controller in January 2007. It's what I'm going back to," Kantner said. She has served as county controller since January 2008 as a Democrat . . . 

In a follow-up article from the Republican Herald, the publication discovers the history of third party politics in the county:

County Controller Melinda Kantner has made history. Since at least the late 1890s, there has not been a sitting county row officer or commissioner who has not belonged to either the Republican or Democratic party, according to county Election Bureau records and election results in the Schuylkill County Archives Office. "There's a first time for everything," Kantner said last week.

Two weeks ago, the incumbent ditched the Democratic Party, became an independent, and is now gearing up for a potential three-way November General Election. Decades ago, races for county row offices were often melees. For example, in the 1915 county elections, at least six parties fielded candidates. The mainstay Republican and Democrat parties had candidates on the ballot, but so did the Washington, Citizens, Socialist and Labor parties. Those parties were represented on the ballot for prothonotary, controller, county commissioner and other offices, according to county archives . . .

PA: Bill Would Ease Ballot Access Restrictions

From the Daily American:

A Senate bill would make it easier for third-party candidates and independents to appear on the November ballot. Republican Sen. Mike Folmer, of Lebanon, introduced the Voters’ Choice Act, which is supported by the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition.

Folmer’s chief of staff, Fred Sembach, said the act levels the playing field for third-party candidates to appear on the fall ballot. Republicans and Democrats appear on the general election ballot after winning nominations in a primary. Independents and third-party candidates do not have a primary.  “It’s more options for voters — hence the name voters choice,” Sembach said. . . .

Under the proposed legislation, to appear on the general election ballot third-party candidates would have to obtain the same number of signatures as candidates from the two major parties. Also, an individual from any party would be allowed to sign a petition for a third-party candidate.

PA: Green Party Stands Up for Fourth Amendment, Opposes Police State Tactics

From the Green Party of Philadelphia:

A representative of the Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP) testified against the stop-and-frisk policy at Philadelphia City Council hearings on Tuesday, December 14. Stop-and-frisk has been enforced by Mayor Nutter, City Council, and the police for the last three years. Stop-and-frisk involves a police officer running his or her hands along the outer garments to detect any concealed weapons. The stop-and-frisk program is being criticized by opponents who say that it leads to racial profiling and direct violations of citizens’ Constitutional Rights.

Hugh Giordano, www.hughgiordano.com, who is a union organizer and candidate for PA State Representative in District 194, represented the Green Party, www.gpop.org. Giordano, in his testimony told a story in which as a young teenager, he was pulled over, frisked and called “Chico” several times by the police. “I was so embarrassed,” Giordano told City Council, “I was accused of stealing the car I was driving, and when I told the officer it was my car, he told me, ‘We’ll see about that, Chico.’”

PA-15: Jake Towne Receives 8% Support in Independent Bid for US House

From Jake Towne:

From the not-yet-100%-official results from the state elections board, 15,241 votes were cast in favor of freedom in the district yesterday, for about 8% of the total.  I suppose the bad news (and sorry to be blunt) is this means 92% of the votes were cast for more debt, war, taxes and reckless government spending.

The volunteers have all my thanks, for without them, there would simply be no campaign.  Close to 70 volunteers staffed many of the major polling stations for the day, and at most reported the GOP or Dem workers  were not present – or got cold or left after several hours.  Also, many thanks to the owner of Pies On Pizzeria in Catasauqua for holding the Victory Party, the place was packed!  I am very humbled by all the support from voters, volunteers, and the 1,019+ donors who backed the campaign.  You are all my heroes/heroines.

PA: Hugh Giordano Proposes Ambitious Package of Election Reforms, Equal Access, Open Primaries . . .

From Montgomery Media News:

Hugh Giordano, the independent Green Party candidate for State Representative in the 194th District, has a strong stance when it comes to elections and how they should be run. “Elections in this state are so biased and unfair, that the voters never really have the opportunity to vote for someone they really want to. “The goal of this package of reforms is to ensure open, clean elections so that the citizens of Pennsylvania get the representation they deserve,” says Giordano.

Giordano supports a shift to open primaries in Pennsylvania . . . Giordano supports equal ballot access for third-party and independent candidates. . . . Giordano supports campaign finance reform . . .

PA: Democrat Admits Supporters Helped Third Party Candidate Gain Ballot Access

From Eyewitness News 9:

A suburban Philadelphia Democratic congressional candidate has acknowledged his supporters helped a third-party candidate get on the ballot, but says he doesn't consider that a "mortal sin."

PA: Fearing Political Competition, Republican Boycotts Debate Because it Would Include Third Party Candidate

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Republican congressional candidate Patrick Meehan on Monday night pulled out of the final scheduled debate of the campaign, citing the presence of a third-party candidate who was invited to participate. 

Meehan faces Democrat Bryan Lentz and third-party candidate Jim Schneller in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania's Seventh District. Meehan and Lentz have met in four debates since August.

Schneller, who is running as the American Congress Party candidate, was not invited to the previous debates. The final debate, to be held by the League of Women Voters, is scheduled for Oct. 14.

PA-15: Jake Towne purged from debate to which he had already been invited

From Jake Towne:

The Morning Call devoted a half page elaborating why they are barring my campaign from their debate.   The article did not address 1) why the Morning Call first offered myself an invite which I accepted back in June, then rescinded this offer and 2) the deficiencies in the poll, which are highlighted here.

While I do respect an organization’s ability to invite or not invite candidates to their events, it is saddening to see this in a “free” press.  However, it is important to remember that regardless of the skewed poll, what is apparent is the campaign has a lot more work to do to get the message out.   I was invited by the Morning Call to take part in a live internet chat event next month, which I of course agreed to.  There is a debate on Friday in Allentown, feel free to come out and attend!!

PA: Purge of Libertarian Candidate from Ballot an "Affront to Citizens of Pennsylvania"

A letter to the editor of Penn Live, from ERIK VIKER, Libertarian Party candidate State House of Representatives, District 85:

The Pennsylvania Republican Party is supporting an effort to strike third-party candidates from the general election ballot in November.

While Democrats and Republicans can waltz onto the state ballot with no real effort, third-party candidates must collect more than 19,000 voter signatures to petition for the right to serve as a choice for Pennsylvania voters.

Despite this blatantly unfair requirement, the Libertarian Party candidates for U.S. senator, governor and Lt. governor demonstrated the trust of the people by filing well over the minimum number of petition signatures.

But for reasons that defy understanding, other than possibly a cowardly need to retain power, the GOP wants a court to deny these candidates their fair place on the ballot.

Ignoring all the evidence of voter dissatisfaction with same-old party politics, the Republican leadership has decided the people of Pennsylvania don’t deserve more choices on Election Day.

Mike Robertson, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania, calls this ploy an “affront to the citizens of Pennsylvania” and calls on all political party leaders to condemn this effort to restrict voter choices.

Republican candidates should disavow this shameful attempt to restrict certain citizens’ ability to be involved in government service.

ERIK VIKER
Libertarian Party candidate
State House of Representatives, District 85

PA: Republicans Force Libertarians Off Ballot, Rob Voters of Political Choice

From Ballot Access News:

The Pennsylvania Libertarian Party’s candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and U.S. Senator withdrew today, rather than face the risks of a challenge to their statewide petition.  There will still be some Libertarians on the Pennsylvania ballot for U.S. House, state legislature, and local office, however. This means that Pennsylvania will be one of five states with no minor party or independent candidates on the statewide ballot.

PA: Green and Libertarian Parties Call on Democrats and Republicans to Cease Authoritarian Ballot Control Efforts

A press release from the TGB Report:

HARRISBURG, PA – In a display of non-partisan unity on behalf of all Pennsylvania voters who desire a free choice of candidates in the November 2, 2010 general election, the state’s Constitution, Green and Libertarian Parties today called on Republicans and Democrats to withdraw the nomination petition challenges that major party operatives filed against every non-major party candidate for statewide office in Pennsylvania. The minor parties also called on the major party candidates who are the intended beneficiaries of the challenges to condemn them as an attempt to suppress voter choice in the upcoming election. Under Pennsylvania’s uniquely punitive and discriminatory ballot access scheme, minor party and independent candidates may be ordered to pay $80,000 or more in litigation costs and attorneys’ fees if they defend against such challenges.

The Constitution, Green and Libertarian Parties specifically called on Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett to condemn the challenge filed against Libertarian Party gubernatorial nominee Marakay Rogers. They called on Republican congressional candidate Pat Meehan to condemn the challenge to independent candidate Jim Schneller. And the minor parties called on Democratic senatorial nominee Joe Sestak to condemns and withdraw the challenge that he personally filed to Green Party senatorial nominee Mel Packer.  Corbett, Meehan and Sestak must condemn the challenges whether or not they were involved in the filing, the minor parties say, because they are the intended beneficiaries.

PA: Tea Party and Libertarian Candidates for Gov Complicate Strategy for Establishment Parties

From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

in this year's race for governor, the lineup of candidates who have apparently qualified for the ballot suggests a scenario that could, in a tight race, hurt the Republican front-runner, Attorney General Tom Corbett.


In addition to his Democratic opponent, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, the ballot will include Marakay Rogers, the Libertarian Party candidate, and John Krupa, running under the banner of the tea party.

PA-7: Independent Responds to Smears, Denounces Defamatory Tactics of Democrats and Republicans

From 3rd Party Independent Pulse, a press release from Jim Schneller and independent candidate in PA-7:

    Jim Schneller, candidate for U.S. Representative for the 7th district of Pennsylvania, returns comment on a recent flurry of reports and accusations that the Lentz campaign, or the Democrat Party, have assisted the Schneller campaign by collecting signatures. “Reading these articles has been an exercise in stomaching a half-baked accusation dressed up like a scandal, and is as tiresome as watching two mice pushing a pancake around a plate.”

    The practice of bald accusations and muck raking is an ongoing objection of the Jim Schneller for Congress campaign to current two-party election practices in our nation, where human interest replaces gathering of fact, and independent candidacies are discouraged by way of manipulative herding of the populace back and forth, election to election, while candidates with integrity succumb to overestrictiveness, and often wither.  Open debate between candidates ought to occur at a frequency of weeks, rather than months, so the public could judge character and wisdom, rather than become attuned to theatrics and meaningless “sport.”

PA: Greens Announce Successful Ballot Access Petition Drive

From Green Party Watch:

Harrisburg, PA – On Monday, August 2, 2010, Green Party candidates successfully filed all nominating papers (petitions) with the Bureau of Commissions and Elections allowing all candidates to compete in the general election in November. Congratulations to all candidates, petitioners, and supporters.

Ed Bortz (http://www.edbortzforcongress.org/), Green Party candidate for U.S. Congress in the 14th District of Pennsylvania filed more than 9,900 signatures, more than twice the minimum requirement for ballot access.

Mel Packer (http://melpacker.com/), Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate also satisfied the statewide signature requirement, as did all Green Party candidates for Representative in the General Assembly. Packer works as a Physician Assistant in an emergency room in Pittsburgh. Prior to becoming a PA, he was a Teamster and helped organize Teamsters for a Democratic Union, a rank-and-file union democracy movement. Packer was recently on the board of the Thomas Merton Center, a nationally-known peace and social justice center.

Green Party Candidates in 2010:
Mel Packer, U.S. Senate, Pennsylvania
(http://melpacker.com/)
Ed Bortz, U.S. Congress, District 14
(http://www.edbortzforcongress.org/)
Hugh Giordano, Representative in the General Assembly, District 194
(http://www.hughgiordano.com/)
Rex D’Agostino, Representative in the General Assembly, District 183
(http://rexdagostino.com/)
Jay Sweeney, Representative in the General Assembly, District 111
(http://www.jaysweeney.org/)
Edward Bonsell, Representative in the General Assembly, District 53
(http://www.edbonsell.com/)
Charles “Skip” Moyer, Representative in the General Assembly, District 145

Volunteers are needed for all of the Green Party campaigns. Please contact GPPA for more information.

PA-15: Jake Towne on War, Civil Liberties and Freedom of Speech

From the Jake Towne campaign for Congress in PA-15:

Concerning the recent media circus concerning the controversial band that was removed from this concert, I thought it best to say a few words not just about the freedom of expression protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, but also how best we should use these freedoms while moving forward as a campaign.

First of all, the Constitution is often misunderstood. It’s purpose is NOT to run everyone’s life, but rather the exact opposite – to PROTECT the people from the government. Our founders recognized that governments are capable of horrific tyrannies. If we look through history, the examples are all too frequent. While it is easy to forget the horrors of war while it is not in front of your face – especially on beautiful days like today – the last century of humankind has been extremely bloody.

Almost all of the killing has been done by governments and political groups. During the past 100 years, an estimated 170 million have died at the hands of governments, and of these perhaps up to 70% were civilians.

In my travels abroad, I’ve walked through Nazi concentration camps, the Killing Fields in Cambodia, the site of the Nanjing Massacre in China and places all over Asia where the Japanese committed WW2 atrocities, and these experiences has affected me deeply.

I used to often wondered why these state-sponsored killings occur until I came to the realization that tyranny ends only when we as individuals cease to support our own serfdom.

The politicians whisper “Give us all your liberties, and we will keep you safe.” The truth is that without the liberty and rule of law guaranteed under the Constitution, there is no safety – from the government.

Read the whole thing.