[EM] Making a Bad Thing Worse - parties/primaries

[Dave Ketchum]

This topic has inspired an ocean of words - too many to respond to in 
detaii.  I will respond based on my memory of New York State law - I 
believe close enough to be useful.

Elections in which the voter can only name one candidate, such as FPTP, 
desperately need primaries to help each party submit only one to the 
general election.  They still have headaches from similar candidates 
outside the party.

Elections permitting more complete expression of voter desires, such as 
Range and Condorcet, may still desire primaries, but their need is less 
desperate.

Elections need to support all of:
      Groups of voters taking part as organized parties.
      The most sincere wannabe candidates taking part.
      Keep the size within reason for those running the election.
      Keep the size within reason for understanding and intelligent 
participation by voters.

I am sending out a Wilson-Pakula writeup - shows how desperate parties can 
get to try to control voters.

Let's look at a ballot for governor.  Ten lines, but Tom is on three of them:
      Rep and Dem because voters from those parties petitioned - legal, but 
not likely that party leadership would tolerate (and they do not have to if 
Tom is not a member of their party).
      Tom's - because his friends petitioned him as an independent for a 
few extra votes - thus a better chance for the three counts getting him 
elected governor.

Ten lines could mean ten parties each owning a ballot line for the next 
four years (takes X votes to win such).
      Rep and Dem are established parties, probably get X and thus continue.
      Tom's 'party" is just Tom but if it gets X he has the right to expand 
it into a real party (though he can choose not to).

Note that there are two classes of nomination petitions:
      For primary, signatures must come from party members.  Note that, 
besides petitioning, party leadership can do nominating for primaries.
      Independent for general election takes more because any voter can sign.
      For either the rules must look for a balance:
           Not so easy that the election gets swamped with candidates.
           Not so hard that there are no candidates.

After losing in the primary, can a candidate run independent in the general 
election?  Perhaps, with proper petition signatures.
-- 
  davek at clarityconnect.com    people.clarityconnect.com/webpages3/davek
  Dave Ketchum   108 Halstead Ave, Owego, NY  13827-1708   607-687-5026
            Do to no one what you would not want done to you.
                  If you want peace, work for justice.