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Will the Oklahoma Democratic Party Formally Support Ballot Access Reform? Dear Democratic friends, Yesterday I watched a documentary about the first Iraqi elections in 2005 called “My Country, My Country”. The filmmaker followed a Sunni Doctor whose party was number 351 on the ballot. THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE!!! Afghanistan had EIGHTEEN choices for president in 2004. Meanwhile, Oklahoma was the only state limited to just TWO choices for president in 2004. And HALF of our state legislative races went UNOPPOSED last year. This was not a one-time event. This is the average for Oklahoma mid-term elections, suggesting a systemic problem. (www.okies.info/needchoice.html) One problem is that Oklahoma has the worst ballot access laws, making it next to impossible for a new grassroots party to be recognized officially. “People have a right to vote for the candidate of their choice. It's isn't a free election otherwise. Even the former president of Iran has criticized the U.S. for our lack of freedom in our elections. It would help the U.S. image worldwide if Oklahoma would fix this dreadful blot,” wrote Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News. Putin was criticized recently when he cracked down on dissenting political parties by requiring that parties have at least 50,000 members to be recognized. Meanwhile, in our American state that is a 40th the size of Russia, it takes about 50,000 valid signatures to form a new party this year. “It's amazing that measures taken in Russia, seen by many as a way to squash opposition, are taken as doctrine here in Oklahoma, home of the most restrictive ballot access laws in the nation,” wrote Larry Brittain in a letter to the Oklahoman. Americans support Voter Choice. A Rasmsussen poll released last week says: "58% of American adults say it would be good for the United States to have a truly competitive third political party. Only 23% say it would not be good, and 19% are not sure.” And remember, the point of organizing a party is merely so voters know what candidates stand for. Many Democrats, such as Senator Andrew Rice, have expressed to me their support for Ballot Access Reform. I hope more Oklahoma Democrats will express their support for a fair democratic process. The 2007 Oklahoma Republican Platform already recognizes the problem, saying "We support less restrictive ballot access for all political parties and candidates." (III G. 6., PDF). The OK County Republican Platform goes into even more detail: "...recognizing that Oklahoma has both the most restrictive ballot access laws in the nation and low levels of political participation; therefore, we support lowering state ballot access requirements to at least that of the 10th least restrictive state in the union." The 10th least restrictive states (Utah and Washington) both require 1,000 signatures. Ballot Access Reform bills have been introduced again for the fourth time (HB 1359 and SB 28, PDF info sheet), but all have been silenced in committee so far. These bills would return the requirement to 5,000 signatures to form a new political party, the requirement from 1924 to 1974. By speaking out, we should motivate our legislators to give these bills a vote. This weekend’s convention is a great opportunity to share concerns for our broken democratic process by discussing ballot access reform. In this centennial year of our state constitution, which calls for “FREE and EQUAL” elections, let’s respect the right of freedom of political association. Sincerely, David Splinter State Coordinator Oklahoma Coalition of Independents www.OKIES.info www.OkVoterChoice.org Update 5/23/07 The 2007 Oklahoma Democratic Party State Convention Resolutions Adopted did not include ballot access reform. We hope they will take up this important issue for our democratic process at their next convention. Click here to find out how you can join the campaign for FAIR and DEMOCRATIC ballot acccess laws.