On November 4, 2014, the Constitution Party polled 35% of the vote in a countywide race in Marshall County, Alabama. Alabama law says if a party polls 20% for any countywide partisan position, it becomes ballot-qualified in that county, so that it can nominate candidates for county office without petitioning.
Alabama law, section 17-4-33(10), says, “Following each state and county election, the Secretary of State shall provide on electronic copy of the computerized voter list free of charge to each political party that satisfied the ballot access requirements for that election. The electronic copy of the computerized voter list shall be provided within 30 days of the certification of the election or upon the completion of the election vote history update following the election, whichever comes first.” The Constitution Party applied for a free list of the registered voters of Marshall County shortly after the election, but it hasn’t received it yet.
The law that says qualified parties may receive a free list of the registered voters was passed in 2006. The original 2006 law said the list is available only to statewide qualified parties. But in 2010, the law was amended and the amendment deleted the statewide requirement. Therefore, the Constitution Party is optimistic that it will receive the list.
The state charges $29,000 for groups, other than qualified political parties, for the statewide list. Shawn Harmon, who is a vendor of registration lists, explains at emerges.com how the major parties in Alabama profit from obtaining the list and selling it. Use this link to his story of December 4. Also use this link to see his update of December 10, which summarizes the legal precedents that when states give a free list of the registered voters to qualified parties, they must also give it to active unqualified parties. This is based on a U.S. Supreme Court summary affirmance.
So otherwise you are saying the LP should also be getting a statewide list as well?
yes!
Well, at the least they should be able to obtain the list of registered voters for the county or counties in which they are qualified.
It’s better than that. The US Supreme Court in 1970 summarily affirmed the decision of a 3-judge court in New York, which said that when the state gives the list to the qualified parties, it must give it to active unqualified parties. The Libertarian Party successfully sued New Hampshire and Indiana over this, and the Green and Libertarian Parties successfully sued Michigan over getting the list of voters who voted in the major party presidential primaries.
Richard, any idea on how we can make that stick, if we don’t have money for lawyers? I’ve been trying to get it from them for years without any success, even when we were a qualifid party statewide in 2000-2.
Shawn Harmon is talking to the Alabama Secretary of State’s office about it. As to trying to get the list in 2000-2002, there was no statewide list in Alabama until the legislature passed a bill creating the statewide list in 2003. The federal “Help America Vote Act” of 2002 forced all states to create statewide lists of registered voters.
FYI, in West Virginia, the cost of the statewide list has been reduced from a half-cent per voter (currently 1,225,711 registered voters) down to a flat rate of $500. Also, partial lists (such as precincts, counties, and state legislative districts) have been changed from 1.5-cents per voter to a flat rate of $25 – which is now more expensive for the precincts, but the savvy activist will just buy the list for the whole county which includes all the precincts there.
I congratulate the Alabama Constitution(al) Party in making the 20% threshold in Marshall County. In 2016, many county offices will be up for election. Trust the Constitution(al) Party will use the Primary System for nominating its candidates.
If your going to be a political party – act like a political party when the opportunity comes around.
AI – Again I ask you, other than your copious opinionated advice, what have you done to support the CP and CP candidates in Alabama?
On my end, I’ve done a lot for the CP and got thrown under the bus for it in return.
Then again, disbanding one’s national youth group is not a productive move for a political party.
J.R. Myers:
If you have read my previous replies, you will note I have offered to help the Constitution(al) Party to get legislation passed to help that party (and other parties) receive a position on the Alabama statewide election ballot.
But no, I have not offered to join a party which wants to take us all back to 1776 economically.
If fact, any political party which advocates – directly or indirectly – for repeal of Social Security and Medicare is doomed from the beginning.
I note that the Alaska Constitution Party did not in the 2014 elections make the threshold for statewide ballot position. Which still begs the question, why don’t you use the Alaskan Independence Party – a party which hold ballot access for 2016 – for obtaining your political objectives, even if it includes the suicidal position toward Social Security and Medicare.
By “it” I was referring to the Alaska Constitution(al) Party and it’s position on Social Security and Medicare.