Todd Pritsky, who is running for VT House as an independent this fall, has decried the state’s ballot access regime as “election Calvinball.” As Pritsky wrote last Friday in a post under that title:
the Legislature very bravely changed this year’s election rules very late in the game, so the Secretary of State has moved up filing deadlines for Independent candidates from September to June. I had planned to have all my signatures collected by the original early date of June 7th, but was counting on the extra cushion just in case . . . Regardless of my individual situation, this election year change of election year rules is not only patently unfair, undemocratic and a cynical ploy to lock out candidates outside the major parties from where I sit, it could also be illegal
For those who may not know, “Calvinball” was a game played by the infamously mischievous Calvin from the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. Calvinball is characterized by the arbitrariness of its rules. Wikipedia quotes the comic’s author Bill Watterson: “When asked how to play [Calvinball], Watterson states, “It’s pretty simple: you make up the rules as you go.”” In a follow up “Letter to the Editor” at his website, published on Wednesday, Todd criticizes the “legislature’s cynical, anti-democratic move”:
The November election seems far away, so it’s understandable that most Vermonters probably didn’t notice a little electoral sleight-of-hand by our Legislature in the waning days of the last session. S.122, which was signed into law by Governor Douglas on May 11, was passed as a “fix” to some “technical errors” in a previous bill, S.117, which moved the primary election back to August.
The error? Contradictory language that allowed independent candidates for state office to file petitions to be on the November ballot three days after the primary, as they usually have. The Republican caucus in the House offered a last minute amendment to require all candidates file in June, two months before a primary that independents won’t be in, and five months before the General election. In a surge of bipartisanship, the Democratic-controlled Legislature overwhelmingly passed the bill.
I spoke to Secretary of State Markowitz a few days after the law went into effect and she agreed this is a bad move for democracy, but her office will not challenge the date. While there is talk of correcting this egregious election year rule changing next session, that doesn’t help in 2010.
This might not seem like a big campaign issue, but all Vermonters should take heed that incumbents and major parties are slowly eroding our tradition of independence and hindering citizens’ involvement in self-government. Consider that when candidates ask you to support them this summer and fall.
Todd Pritsky
Independent Candidate for Vermont House, Franklin-2
Note: I’m not sure if the links above will take you to the correct posts from Todd’s website, as clicking on individual posts did not result in a change to the URL. If not, simply scroll down on the main page.