Our voting process is so screwed up

[chucky2]

Well we almost made it with Sanders. Despite Billary sucking up to the Black vote for decades, Sanders was pretty darn close to her in IL. I don't feel I wasted my vote at all, we almost got a worthwhile Dem winning IL.

 

[IronWing]

I don't understand what you mean by this. Wouldn't the sheer size of the Dem and Rep parties basically automatically make them be able to meet this?

Yes, they would likely meet the requirements but the current system in many states gives major parties ballot access based on past election performance. New parties and small parties have to go through a petition process that the major parties don't. This is an unwarranted gift to the major parties. Requiring all parties to go through the same process for ballot access puts the parties on an equal footing wrt ballot access. Government should be neutral in election administration and giving the major parties automatic ballot access isn't neutral.

 

[chucky2]

Yes, they would likely meet the requirements but the current system in many states gives major parties ballot access based on past election performance. New parties and small parties have to go through a petition process that the major parties don't. This is an unwarranted gift to the major parties. Requiring all parties to go through the same process for ballot access puts the parties on an equal footing wrt ballot access. Government should be neutral in election administration and giving the major parties automatic ballot access isn't neutral.

Ok, fair enough. I don't think it's going to stop the Dem and Rep parties from getting on the ballot, but I can see how you'd want each party to have to go through what the others have to also.

 

[WHAMPOM]

I too wonder why we let the Gov pay for a primary Party vote and not just let the Party's state representives meet at convention to pick their candidate.

 

[WHAMPOM]

Yes, they would likely meet the requirements but the current system in many states gives major parties ballot access based on past election performance. New parties and small parties have to go through a petition process that the major parties don't. This is an unwarranted gift to the major parties. Requiring all parties to go through the same process for ballot access puts the parties on an equal footing wrt ballot access. Government should be neutral in election administration and giving the major parties automatic ballot access isn't neutral.

What!! Level the playing field in the best political system money can buy! How dare you propose a democratic political system in place of our beloved Capitalistic one.