:: Dano's Production Journal ::

:: 6/04/2005 ::

Why it's ridiculously hard to get on the ballot in Texas - from the Campaign-Blog of Kinky Friedman:

"I've gotten quite a few emails asking for an explanation of what it takes to get Kinky on the ballot. So in an effort to answer your questions and put to bed any misconception, I figured I would lay it all out there for our curious friends.

In Texas, arguably the most difficult state in the union to gain access to the ballot, independent candidates can't simply pay a fee or file paperwork. Instead, they have to get 1% of the prior election years turnout in signatures. Now, Texas is a big state. In Rhode Island 1 % is only 3,320 signatures, a significant discrepancy from the 45,540 signatures required in Texas. Seems easy enough doesn' it? Tack on a timeframe of 30 days to collect all these signatures. Not difficult enough? What about when the Texas law forbids anyone who has voted in the 2005 primaries to sign the petition. Still not difficult enough? You have to be a registered voter to sign the petition and you have to be a registered voter to circulate the petition. Add on to the fact that many Texas cities recently declared petition gathering as soliciting, thus effectively making it illegal to collect signatures at public events.

Gaining access to the ballot is no small feat. In fact, it hasn't been accomplished by an independent since Sam Houston did so in 1859! To stifle any attempts by main stream political parties from challenging our petitions, Kinky wants to collect 90,000 signatures. That's 3,000 signatures a day, 125 signatures an hour and two signatures a minute. In order to make this happen, we are relying on volunteers to give over 6,000 hours of their time from March 8, 2006 to April 7, 2006.
So, let's recap on how easy it is to get Kinky on the ballot:

1. Hasn't been done since 1859
2. Only registered voters who haven't voted in the most recent primary can sign our petition
3. No existing infrastructure such as local political parties to provide support
4. City ordinances around Texas makes it illegal to collect signatures at public events
5. The campaign is limited to 30 days (March 8, 2006 to April 7, 2006) to collect the required amount of signatures
6. 3,000 signatures must be collected every day on average.

How you can help:

1. Register to vote
2. Take the Lone Star Pledge -- promise Kinky you won't vote in any primary in 2006 and you WILL sign the petition when the time comes
3. Sign up to volunteer on our website
4. Tell your friends and family you're supporting Kinky and ask for their help

thanks!"

So you may not really think Kinky Friedman is the best gubernatorial candidate, but you have to admit that he and any other independents deserve to be on the ballot with the likes of 'Goodhair" Perry and "insert bland Democrat" here. And it's pretty ridiculous that to vote for an independent on election day, you can't have voted in the primaries, as if you aren't allowed to change your mind. Anyway, boycott the 2006 primaries, everybody.

"So after my reading, I'm gonna sit up here and sign anything you give me - books, CDs, DVDs, photos, posters... I'll sign anything... but BAD LEGISLATION!"
- Kinky Friedman, Book People signing
:: Dano 2:49 PM [+] ::
...