now that the election is over: suggestions thread

[NoodleBoy]

now that the election is over, what could we, as voters in our states, do to effect policy?

My definite suggestion would be to start forming groups to advocate for publicly-financed local elections. Sure, public financing for national elections would be great, but it would probably do alot more good at the local level, where less money buys alot more. A national group working on getting publicly-financed elections is http://www.publicampaign.org/.

As far as I know, Arizona and Maine are the only states with clean elections, and it's worked wonders for us here because now candidates can compete against entrenched incumbents with large donor networks. The way it works is that if a candidate wants to run for office, they have to get a certain number of $5 contributions. Usually, for the state legislature, it's around 250, maybe 300, by a certain date. If that amount is met, an appointed commission of non-politicians awards the candidate the amount of funds the commission has deemed appropriate for the race, and the candidate is not allowed to either collect other donations or go over that limit. if they're running against someone who is privately financing their campaign, the funding is pegged to how much money the private campaign has collected, and if it goes over what the commission has determined to be needed for the race, the clean campaign gets matching funds above what they've already been given. if a third group gets involved for or against a candidate, the opposing candidate is also given matching funds in the amount the third group spent.

It's an incredible system, and has allowed average people the chance to run when before viable candidates were limited to those who could raise alot of money.

The way this came about in Arizona was through a ballot initiative-- it would have never made it out of committee in the legislature, and probably wouldn't in any state.

Any other suggestions?

[NMDemDist2]

1. living wage laws, media, health care

and kudos to AZ for shutting down that Gay Marriage thing too

[crispini]

2. We could organize lobby days.

We are about to have a legislative session starting in January, at the state level, and although we do not have I&R in my state, we got started on a voter verified paper ballot bill last session -- couldn't get it out of committee -- I am interested in organizing a lobby day to support this effort.

Plus, lobby days are fun as hell. :bounce:

[NoodleBoy]

3. independent redistricting commissions

another thing to work toward: independent redistricting commissions.

in Arizona, the Commission is appointed like this: the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, the Senate Minority Leader and the House Minoritym Leader each appoint one commissioner. When the appointed commissioners convene, they have to unanimously appoint someone from a party not already represented, and that person is immediately made chair of the commission. commissioners cannot have ever run for office, have ever been an officer in a political party, or been paid staff in any campaign, including non-partisan campaigns.

We've only had it for a little while in AZ, so the real effect of the independent commission is yet to be seen.

[troubleinwinter]

4. I cannot agree that Arizona had a "clean" election.

Your statement that Arizona had "clean elections" utterly ignores some glaring problems.

Post-Election Audit a Farce in Arizona
November 16th, 2006
by Michael Shelby

The post-election audit law in Arizona to manually count 2 percent of the precincts was a farce.

Perhaps I was too optimistic. Perhaps I wanted to believe we had made some progress. Even after I observed transfer of data between electronic tabulating machines by “thumb drives” at our Maricopa County Elections Department, when I saw that there was no security applied to the custody of the thumb drives before, during, or after the vote counting, I showed up for the post-election audit skeptical but hopeful. Despite the rigid, nonsensical, arbitrary requirement that a quorum of 72 auditors from each major party must participate or the audit could not be performed, and even though I knew that almost every conceivable obstacle to conducting a post-election audit of the electronic voting machines was inserted into Arizona’s Election Reform Bill by obstructionists to election accountability; I thought that just maybe, this time, we might have a go at accountability. Sadly, it was not to be.

http://blog.pdamerica.org/?p=908

The new voter ID pushed so hard by our repub SoS, disenfranchised Native American voters.

"Navajo Nation – where there are 40,000 registered Democrats, voters favored Sen. Kerry with around 79 percent of the votes. Analysis of other reservation precincts showed that George Bush received anywhere from 19 to 34 percent."

"150,000 American Indian voters in Arizona, the Native Vote would make the difference." (22 tribes, nations and communities) Native Americans tend Dem.

"Many Indian people, especially elders, don’t have birth certificates, driver’s licenses or two forms of Tribal identification."

"However, the special regulations do not resolve the problems of identification and proof of citizenship as Tribal identification documents are different, contain different information such as some not having a photograph, others may, and some Tribes not having a Tribal identification card at all."

"The other forms of acceptable identification are also impediments. Indian citizens living on reservations may not have phone services, so there would not be a phone bill, may not have utility bills and will not have a property tax notification."

Native American voters who have participated in elections for many years may be rejected at the polls because of lack of proper ID.

"With their increased political participation, Native Americans have become an increasingly powerful voting bloc. In 2002, the Indian vote helped retain ...the Arizona gubernatorial seat for Janet Napolitano (Dem)."

"Many Indians do not have federal or state government IDs-some due to the historical concerns, some due to cultural issues, and others because they have not previously had a need for one."

"Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz.... only received 8 percent of the Navajo vote in 2002"

Disenfranchisement of Native American voters, intimidation and disenfranchisement of Latino voters and obstructing legitimate random auditing and recount are not indicative of "clean elections" to me.

[NoodleBoy]

5. you're confusing the issue

"clean elections" is the shorthand we use here to refer to our system of public campaign finance. it works well as a name, because, what's the opposite of clean? exactly.

about the other things, we're getting our stuff together to fight the crazy right on their disenfranchisement strategies. we nearly got a proposition on the ballot mandating clear paper trails, but it was organized too late and with too narrow a target to get all the petition signatures it needed (it had about four weeks-- it usually takes twelve to sixteen).

so yes, the Republicans keep trying to suppress the vote, but it isn't working very well. as a direct reaction to their new ID laws and intimidation, in 06 we pushed hard--- very, very, VERY hard--- in our insistence to potential Dem voters in BOTH getting new ID's or voting by mail, and we got an initiative on the ballot passed so now every registered voter in the state will get a vote by mail ballot.

One dethroned blowhard, one racist kept out of Congress, an extremely popular Gov and AG re-elected, and wins in places we didn't expect later, I'd say we've done a pretty good job.

[troubleinwinter]

6. OK

I get it now regarding the use of the phrase "clean elections". Maybe "publicly financed campaigns" would be a better phrase. I'm sure youu can see why I misunderstood.

That SoS gotta go.

I worry some about vote by mail for those NA people who do not speak or read English. Ballots are not printed in Navajo or other NA languages (usually a translator is present at polls). A great many residents on reservations don't get mail delivery at all... voting day at polls is an important community event and voting is important to them, as they follow government closely.

"getting new ID's" can be a real challenge. How does one get a "new ID" without a birth certificate, driver's license, utility bills, property tax bills, etc.???

Tribal leaderships must help with issuing Tribal ID as they are accepted for voting, but many do not issue such ID, and other 'acceptable' ID is often just not possible.

[NoodleBoy]

8. until we replace our fascist SoS with a non-crazy person, this sounds like something the county

recorders could take up easily. I know it's not a fix-all, but the counties with the highest concentration of native americans in them have very native-friendly county governments.

it'd be interesting to see a county attorney bring a lawsuit against the SoS for negligent voter disenfranchisement. hell... a tribe might be able to even.

and since this is a thread about suggestions, a non-profit could even be started, to translate and widely distribute ballot guides to Navajo and other NA language speakers, as well as to search out means for them to get new ID's if they'd rather just go to the polls.

so........


you got any nonprofit experience?

[LWolf]

7. Here are my suggestions:

1.When the so-called "No Child Left Behind" act comes up for reauthorization, let it die. Replace it with something that does not mandate tests, scores, or instructional methodology. Replace it with something that: institutes a national teacher certification process that replaces the 50 different programs in place, and grandfathers in anyone with a credential from any state with no extra classes, tests, or $$$. Generate a few national curricular goals, and let states structure how they will work towards those goals. No "meet or else" mandates or sanctions. High goals deliver higher performance, whether or not the pie in the sky is realistic for all. Commit to fully funding things that will really make a difference in public schools: perhaps a building fund, so that enough schools can be built to keep schools small. Perhaps fully funding class size reduction across the nation. Perhaps fully funding libraries, labs, pe programs, music/art programs, counselors, support staff, etc.. across the board, so that all the nation's schools have the infrastructure to fully operate. Perhaps funding a system on site to make sure that every child has adequate shelter, clothing, healthcare, supplies, food, and care outside of school. Perhaps funding before and after school tutoring/homework programs staffed so that kids can work in small groups with adult help and attention.

2. Universal, single-payer, not-for-profit healthcare. Now.
3. Out of Iraq. Now.
4. Repeal NAFTA/CAFTA.
5. Paper ballots, hand counts for all elections.
6. 100% public funding for all elections; no donations, no pacs. Equal funding for all candidates.
7. Fairness doctrine.
8. re-regulation of all the industries and services "privatized" in the last few decades.
9. Restore civil liberties eroded by the Patriot Act.
10. No more corporate personhood; remove all corporate influence from the halls of government.

There are my top ten priorities.