From an article posted on Ballot Access News, on April 18, 2012:
The Richmond Times-Dispatch has this editorial, commenting on Governor Bob McDonnell’s requests to the Virginia legislature to alter certain bills that the legislature earlier sent to him. At the end of the editorial, the writer criticizes McDonnell for suggesting that HB 1151 be altered.
HB 1151 passed the legislature unanimously. It said that when U.S. House redistricting is late (as it was this year), ballot access petitions are valid whether they use the old districts or the new districts. The Governor suggested to the legislature that the effective date of the bill be postponed. The legislature had passed it as an urgency bill, to take effect immediately. The Governor wants it effective next year, and also wants presidential petitions to be excluded. The Libertarian Party and the Green Party have already been circulating their presidential petitions, which must contain 400 signatures from each U.S. House district, and if the legislature amends the bill as the Governor wants, those signatures will be wasted. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for the link.
See the original article here.
“First, he would make the emergency legislation effective not immediately, as the legislature intended, but in 2013. This defeats the purpose of allowing either pre- or post-redistricting congressional district boundaries to be used for signature collection. Second, he wants to stipulate that the measure would not apply to third-party presidential candidates. There is no defensible reason to deny voters a broader array of choices. Restricting ballot access like this is contrary to the democratic ethos, and lawmakers should firmly reject McDonnell’s narrow-minded approach.”
This is the exact quote from the article. It is NOT the text of the actual law. As one of Virginia’s most experienced petitioners – it is NOT clear to me this will void any Green signatures already collected.
Further the state board of elections have already confirmed the Independent Green Party candidate Janet Murphy on the ballot in the 8th Congressional District. Janet Murphy collected over 2,000 signatures.
The state board of elections is expected shortly to confirm the Independent Green Party’s Gail for Rail Parker on the ballot in the 1st District in Virginia. Gail for Rail has filed over 2,000 petition signatures.
In the 11th District the Independent Green Party candidate Peter Marchetti filed 1,000 plus signatures with the Virginia state board of elections about a month ago..
So as you can see – the Independent Green Party horses/candidates got out of the barn long ago, and the Independent Green Party’s Janet Murphy was confirmed on the before the Governor even sent these proposals forward.
There is more to this story.
Watch Deadline:
with Texas Green Party – Rhett Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IshtubGfY4&list=PLB9A70F374D0545E8&index=5&feature=plpp_video
Thanks for the story.
I’ve collected a few hundred thousand petition signatures in Virginia over the past two decades to put Independents, Greens, and Independent Greens on the ballot.
I do not believe it is accurate to say signatures already gathered will be wasted for the Presidential ballot line for the eventual Green nominee.
It has been my first hand experience the Virginia State board of elections in state wide petitioning verifies all valid signatures.
That means the signatures are simply shifted to the district where they belong.
Carey Campbell
Atlantic Television News – Anchor
TV Show “Deadline”
See Green Party’s Pat LaMarche on this show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akCZM3RN_Vw&list=PLB9A70F374D0545E8&index=4&feature=plpp_video
Everyone in VA who prefers Third Party politics need to write a LTE agreeing with the Editorial and BLASTING the Gov. and the ones who voted with him ! Take advantage and build on the positive media you received !
American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world. Our foreign policy should emphasize defense against attack from abroad and enhance the likelihood of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolutionary groups. https://www.lp.org/contribute
The LP is America’s third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party at our website ( http://www.lp.org/ ).
“Libertarians have quietly become America’s best organized and most significant third party. Unlike flash-in-the-pan parties organized around cults of personality like Ross Perot’s and Ralph Nader’s, Libertarians have organized at the grass roots for the long haul. They are fast approaching the point where they may force the major parties to reckon with Libertarian ideas.” – Bob Ewegen, The Denver Post, https://www.lp.org/contribute
Unfortunately, the legislature paid no attention to the newspaper editorial and did what the Governor wanted.