Michigan Greens Support SB 13 to End Straight-Ticket Voting People

The Green Party of Michigan notes the following:



Ecological Wisdom      *  Social Justice

Grassroots Democracy  *  Non-Violence


Green Party of Michigan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  www.MIGreenParty.org


**  News Release  **
**  ------------  **
    April 3, 2015


For More Information, Contact:
-----------------------------
Art Myatt, GPMI Vice Chair
    ALMyatt@yahoo.com
    (313) 815-2025

John Anthony La Pietra, GPMI Media Committee
    jalp5dai@att.net



Michigan Greens Support SB 13
to End Straight-Ticket Voting
=============================
    The Green Party of Michigan (GPMI) announces its support of Senate
Bill 13 of 2015, which would end the "straight-party" ticket mechanism
so often confused in its application in Michigan.

    The bill was introduced January 20 by Marty Knollenberg (R-13,
Troy) and assigned to the Senate Committee on Elections and Government
Reform.  Committee chair David Robertson (R-14, Grand Blanc) has not yet
scheduled the bill for a hearing.

    GPMI Vice Chair Art Myatt points out, "For years, Michigan has let
voters check a party's 'straight-ticket' box at the top of a
general-election ballot, then split that ticket by voting against
candidates of that party in individual races.  But many voters don't
understand this.  Worse, some poll workers don't understand it either,
and give voters who ask about it wrong advice.

    "That means 'straight-ticket' voting is generally NOT used as
intended.  We are better off eliminating it entirely."

    This month's issue of Ballot Access News notes that straight-ticket
devices unfairly exclude independent candidates (listed in Michigan as
having "No Party Affiliation").  And they distract voters from ballot
questions and non-partisan races – which in Michigan, officially
includes state Supreme Court justices.

    Doug Campbell, the Green Party's first candidate for Governor of
Michigan, sums it up this way:  "SB13 will take some of the
decision-making power away from party bosses and return it to the
voters, where it belongs."

    GPMI's 2014 platform lists grassroots democracy as a Green Key
Value, and backs other voter-centered election reforms:

• Eliminating taxpayer-funded primary elections, and making parties pay
for their own selection processes.

• Ending the influence of money in politics:  public financing and free
air time for all legally qualified candidates, etc.

• Amending the Constitution to say corporations aren't people and money
isn't speech.

• Ending “referendum-proofing” and restoring and respecting the power of
the people to petition for redress on laws.

• Voting reforms including paper ballots, counted by people; election
audits; all voters voting, all votes count.

• Public financing (and free air time shortly before Election Day) for
all legally qualified candidates, of any party or none.

    GPMI elections co-ordinator and 2014 Attorney General candidate
John Anthony La Pietra notes a good companion reform to SB 13:  repeal
of language in MCL 168.786 which limits voters to two minutes in the
voting booth, with more time up to poll-workers.  “All polling places
should have enough voting stations to give voters all the time they need
to complete their  ballots.”

    The next statewide membership meeting of GPMI is scheduled for
Saturday, June 6 in Grand Rapids.

    The text of SB 13 and other official information can be found at
the Michigan Legislature Website:

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=2015-SB-0013


    The Senate committee's homepage is

http://www.senate.michigan.gov/committee/elections.html

    For GPMI's 2014 platform on election reform, see

http://www.migreenparty.org/democracy-and-human-rights.html

    For more information about GPMI and its values, visit

http://www.MIGreenParty.org/

You can also “like” the Green Party of Michigan US Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/migreens

and follow GPMI's Twitter feed @MIGreenParty

https://twitter.com/migreenparty


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created/distributed using donated labor

Green Party of Michigan
PO Box 504
Warren, MI  48090-0504
    313-815-2025
    www.MIGreenParty.org

    GPMI was formed in 1987 to address environmental
issues in Michigan politics.  Greens are organized
in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  Each
state Green Party sets its own goals and creates its
own structure, but US Greens agree on Ten Key Values:

    Ecological Wisdom
    Grassroots Democracy
    Social Justice
    Non-Violence
    Community Economics
    Decentralization
    Feminism
    Respect for Diversity
    Personal/Global Responsibility
    Future Focus/Sustainability