Comments on: Degraded North Carolina Bill Passes House http://www.ballot-access.org/2005/08/24/north-carolina-bill-passes-house/ Sun, 12 Feb 2012 04:27:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=1367 By: Brendan Davidson http://www.ballot-access.org/2005/08/24/north-carolina-bill-passes-house/comment-page-1/#comment-943 Brendan Davidson Fri, 26 Aug 2005 16:01:23 +0000 http://ballot-access.org/2005/08/24/north-carolina-bill-passes-house/#comment-943 Plus, the final passed version does not change anything for down-ballot races. The original bill did. Now, it only concerns itself with changes for party status and statewide unaffiliated candidates. This bill is deplorable! Brendan Davidson Secretary, Socialist Party of NC. Candidate for Salisbury City Council. Plus, the final passed version does not change anything for down-ballot races. The original bill did. Now, it only concerns itself with changes for party status and statewide unaffiliated candidates. This bill is deplorable!

Brendan Davidson
Secretary, Socialist Party of NC.
Candidate for Salisbury City Council.

]]> By: Elena Everett http://www.ballot-access.org/2005/08/24/north-carolina-bill-passes-house/comment-page-1/#comment-942 Elena Everett Wed, 24 Aug 2005 18:56:48 +0000 http://ballot-access.org/2005/08/24/north-carolina-bill-passes-house/#comment-942 In the middle of the night on August 23, 2005, the North Carolina House succeeded in passing a mutilated version of a bill whose original intent was to reform North Carolina’s reactionary and regressive ballot access laws. House Bill 88, The Electoral Fairness Act was the latest attempt from ballot access reformers to change North Carolina’s laws, which are the second worst in the country as far as providing fair and equitable access for citizens seeking to run for office or for citizens seeking form political associations in the form of recognized political parties. By dawn, the NC House had succeeded in passing a version of the bill that in effect did exactly the opposite of what it was intended. Throughout various amendments to HB88 during committee meetings, Representatives added fees, shortened the timeframe during which independents or third parties could gather signatures, and limited the scope of who could run for office as an independent or third party candidate. The final blow came from Representative Phil Haire (D-Jackson), who succeeded in completely gutting the proposed changes to signature requirements on the House floor; this was HB88’s only lasting redeeming quality after passing through 3 versions in the Election Law and Finance Committees. In 2004 a federal judge ruled that North Carolina imposes an unconstitutional burden on unaffiliated political candidates who want a spot on the ballot in a suit brought by NC resident Paul Delaney against the NC Board of Elections. The NC House has done nothing to change these conditions. Although this amended version of the bill has passed the NC House and is now scheduled for the Senate Judiciary Committee – the NC Green Party opposes its adoption of a bill that has been turned into a mockery of itself. The title of HB 88 be amended to: The “Shut Everyone out of the Democratic Process Except You and Your Big Party Donors” Bill Sincerely, Elena Everett Chair, NC Green Party In the middle of the night on August 23, 2005, the North Carolina House succeeded in passing a mutilated version of a bill whose original intent was to reform North Carolina’s reactionary and regressive ballot access laws.

House Bill 88, The Electoral Fairness Act was the latest attempt from ballot access reformers to change North Carolina’s laws, which are the second worst in the country as far as providing fair and equitable access for citizens seeking to run for office or for citizens seeking form political associations in the form of recognized political parties.

By dawn, the NC House had succeeded in passing a version of the bill that in effect did exactly the opposite of what it was intended.

Throughout various amendments to HB88 during committee meetings, Representatives added fees, shortened the timeframe during which independents or third parties could gather signatures, and limited the scope of who could run for office as an independent or third party candidate.

The final blow came from Representative Phil Haire (D-Jackson), who succeeded in completely gutting the proposed changes to signature requirements on the House floor; this was HB88’s only lasting redeeming quality after passing through 3 versions in the Election Law and Finance Committees.

In 2004 a federal judge ruled that North Carolina imposes an unconstitutional burden on unaffiliated political candidates who want a spot on the ballot in a suit brought by NC resident Paul Delaney against the NC Board of Elections. The NC House has done nothing to change these conditions.

Although this amended version of the bill has passed the NC House and is now scheduled for the Senate Judiciary Committee – the NC Green Party opposes its adoption of a bill that has been turned into a mockery of itself.

The title of HB 88 be amended to: The “Shut Everyone out of the Democratic Process Except You and Your Big Party Donors” Bill

Sincerely,
Elena Everett
Chair, NC Green Party

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