Despite all the flak about the Independence parasites, our effort chugs on. Despite a limited period and record heat we are asked to get signatures from a public frustrated by politics as usual.
As one who frequently engages in solution providing I've come up with some answers. Here's a few.
1. Start a referendum or initiative requiring all judges to collect 1000 signatures themselves anytime they seek office. Election law would change real quick after this one. Get one these clowns to understand the cost, risk and utter brutal nature of begging your fellow citizens to participate without the benefit of your 'gang'.
2. Change the Independent requirement to be a percentage of the voters excluding Republicans & Democrats. Despite all the lip service about this being only about access and not ideology, it isn't. Partisans on either side refuse to accept the efficacy of independents. They simply have no room for competition. If an independent was required only to get 1% of the unaffiliated voters (say 500 sigs) this might be considered less hostile to voters and petitioners a like.
3. Make it 20K not 50K. That is, if a party were aloud access based on enrollees, not the amount cast for a particular office. The Greens and LPNY are often the only parties that run alternate candidates. These two parties won a case in 2003 which allowed them to cultivate members based on registration. If they can muster 20K in interested people, those folks ought to have the right to participate. A smarmy young Bushite chirped about there being too many people on the ballot. Humbug. Gary Coleman's not governor in California. The marketplace of ideas should be the only obstacle to success.
In Madison's perfect world a local gentlemen would always step up to represent his district for the public good. Unfortunately that aspect of the social compact has deteriorated into state building. We're back at the chore for almost another three weeks. Casualties won't be as high as elsewhere in the world.