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January 23, 2006

No party? No candidacy?

From the O:

Independent candidates, already a rare breed in Oregon, could be headed for extinction under a new, barely noticed law that took effect this month.

Legislative leaders and other state lawmakers who supported the change say they were trying to keep Oregon elections fair and "honorable" when they tightened restrictions on who can sign a nominating petition.

But critics say the new language makes it far more difficult for unaffiliated candidates to get on the ballot. They call it a thinly veiled power grab by Republican and Democratic party leaders to keep competition at bay and reduce the risk of "spoiler" candidates affecting close races.

The new law requires that anyone who votes in a primary election can't also help nominate an independent candidate and cannot sign a petition for more than one candidate to get on the ballot.

The law was passed after the Oregon Republicans and some conservatives tried to get Ralph Reed on the ballot in Oregon to siphon votes away from Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry.

Is this a power grab by the big two parties? Or is this a way to assure that people don't vote twice to nominate someone for a position?

Posted by Carla at January 23, 2006 07:43 AM