[Peace-discuss] Re: [UCprogressives-discuss] RE: [Prairiegreens] Fw: Election Commission

[Morton K.Brussel]

I don't understand this argument regarding the proposed electoral 
commission by Jennifer Walling:

> Unelected partisan operatives would completely control who was able
> to vote, which candidates obtained ballot access, and how the votes 
> were
> counted.

Does it mean that the constitution and federal laws could be abridged 
at the discretion of the commission?

I have no expertise about the operation of electoral commissions, but 
it is my impression that our current elections officer, Mark Shelden, 
has attempted in the past to do just what the quotation above warns 
against, i.e., "completely control who was able to vote, which 
candidates obtained ballot access, and how the votes were counted".  He 
has, from my observations, not served minorities and students well, as 
remarked by Esther Patt and Tony Fabri.

I find the arguments of John Schmitt contorted. I agree with what Tony 
Fabri has written.

That Shelden  has been elected in this over-all conservative community 
suggests to me that he means to serve his Republican  constituency more 
faithfully than to serve the broad community.  I'm far from persuaded 
that a commission appointed by the county would do worse, although I 
admit that there may be better ways to form a commission then what is 
currently proposed. I don't like the "winner take all" aspect that goes 
with election of the current County Clerk. I'm surprised the Greens 
don't recognize this defect.
So I'm inclined to vote for a commission, believing that even if there 
are defects in the way it is set up, to retain the present system means 
more of the same from Mr. Shelden, and that seems to me to be bad.

MKB

On Oct 22, 2004, at 4:13 PM, Walling, Jennifer wrote:

> So this is the piece that Al Weiss and I wrote for the Prairie Greens
> newsletter last night about the Election Commission.
> The Prairie Green Party officially opposed the Election Commission at 
> our
> September meeting.
> (I'm not on the Peace-Discuss and UCProgressives-discuss list, so 
> please
> e-mail the Greens list if you have comments)
>
> Vote NO on the election commission
>
> "Shall a Board of Election Commissioners be established for Champaign
> County?"
>
> The Prairie Green Party asks that you vote no on the referendum 
> regarding
> the election commission.
> The election commission would establish a committee comprised of at 
> three
> members appointed by the County Board.  The public would have no direct
> input on the selection of members.  Furthermore, the proposed 
> commission
> would be comprised of at least two people from the majority party on 
> the
> county board and one from the minority party.  Third party members and
> independents would be excluded from the election commission by law.
>
> If the election commission passes, elections would be run in a smoky 
> back
> room.  Unelected partisan operatives would completely control who was 
> able
> to vote, which candidates obtained ballot access, and how the votes 
> were
> counted.  Committee members would not be accountable to the public for 
> the
> decisions they made.
>
> Our most important right should not be held hostage by unelected 
> partisan
> operatives.
>
> While the County Clerk system is not perfect, it ensures that there is
> direct accountability to the voters for the running of elections.  We 
> would
> much prefer that this position remain elected rather than appointed.
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