Oklahoma State Senator Randy Brogdon (R-Owasso) recently said that he will again introduce a bill to make it easier for new/minor parties to get on the ballot. It will probably be similar to his 2007 bill, SB 28, which lowered the petition from 5% of the last vote cast to a flat 5,000 signatures; and lowered the vote test from 10% to 1%.
Senator Brogdon is in his second term; he was re-elected in 2006. Because Republicans have a majority in both houses of the legislature in 2009 for the first time since Oklahoma became a state in 1907, the chances for the bill are better than in the past. All bills to improve ballot access in Oklahoma during the last ten years have had only Republican sponsors. Also, Bob Barr’s lawsuit against the Oklahoma independent presidential procedures is still pending.
Between 1924 and 1974, Oklahoma required 5,000 signatures for a new party. During those years, there was no election with more than two minor parties on the Oklahoma ballot.
Perhaps the Republican Party in Oklahoma will come to realize that it too will be a minor-sized party by the year 2012. What is good for the goose is good for the gander, as the old saying goes.
Except that the Republicans basically took over Oklahoma this election.
Still, very good news. The minor parties could gain against a weak democratic party.
What can we do to help?
As the national Republican Party continues to implode, the Oklahoma GOP will begin to follow right along.
I linked to this article over at Libertarian Republican blog. Randy is a longtime libertarian Republican, and has been a guest speaker at local Libertarian Party meetings in OKC. So, this is not at all surprising.
BTW, though you wouldn’t know it by the national media, Republicans actually gained seats in 5 state legislatures for 2009. In fact, in Tennessee, like Oklahoma, the GOP now has majority in both chambers for the first time since the Civil War.
Shockingly, the GOP actually gained seats in both the House and Senate in ultra-liberal Washington State.
Perhaps like Oklahoma, these other states will now be more receptive to assisting the Libertarian Party. When Democrats are in control freedom, including freedom of the ballot for third parties, suffers greatly.
Just keep telling yourself those things, Eric.
The Republican Party will end up on the dustbin of history in the near future and the Libertarian Party (and Constitution Party) will probably not be far behind it. I think that a lot of people in the American Independent Party of California understand this and that is part of the reason that the AIP is edging away from the Constitution Party.
Generally, southern Democrats are the worst state legislators for ballot access. But outside the South, I don’t see much difference between Democrats and Republicans. But when it comes to federal judges, Democratic appointees are significantly better than Republican appointees.
What, Phil, do you think will replace the GOP? Or do you think that we are about to become a one-party system?
Voters seemed to have not voted ‘straight’ ticket in this election so it is not suprising that the Democratic Party victory at the federal level, did not extent to all state races.
Frankly, I think it is a bad premasture to think that the Republican Party will fade away within the next four – eight years.
Yes, their was a intra party rebellion within the GOP. Fiscal conservatives simply could not stand Palin’s economimc populism and were tired of playing second fiddle to the social conservatives.
Ron Paul managed to unite anti-government conservatives — libertarians and paleo-conservatives — but even combined they are still on the GOP fringe and I doubt that coalition will last long.
Social conservatives are still not ready to jump ship and have no where to go. They are too populist for the Constitution Party, see the Libertarians as Godless anarchist and the Reform Party is dead.
Given where many younger Americans are I suspect the GOP will be pressured to become a socially liberal (with the exception of abortion) and fiscally conservative party.
Glaivester Says:
November 17th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
What, Phil, do you think will replace the GOP? Or do you think that we are about to become a one-party system?
Phil answers:
There is a good possibility that various communist, green, and socialist parties will converge and create a Unity Coalition that will be able to compete, effectively, with the Democratic Party. The economic, political, and social forces in play would seem to indicate that it could happen. It will come about in reality, though, only if these different parties are seriously interested in getting together and making it work.