Is there really free speech in elections?

A free article on Politics

By: .JohnSmith.

The major parties, both democratic and republican, are concerned about one thing. Staying in power. And they do this by silencing the voices of any opposition and creating a false front that they are very different by focusing on the "hot button" issues, but the truth is that no matter who is in power the government continues to get larger, and more intrusive. Every eight years or so the general public gets tired of one party and votes the other party. They know that the only real threat to their agenda is the voice of a third party, that's why they pass laws to silence the opposition.

How do they silence opposition?

The major parties have passed a number of laws to ensure that they have the greatest advantage in any election, including unfair ballot access laws and by using taxpayer money for party primaries. The way that Democrats and Republicans work to silencing the opposition is by ensuring they can easily field candidates while making it difficult for smaller parties to appear the ballot. This is achieved through ballot access laws requiring that potential third party candidates collect thousands of signatures just to qualify, but not requiring the major parties to petition even one signature. In Missouri, an established party can field candidates by simply filing a declaration of candidacy.To give you an idea of how widespread this injustice is: Did you know hat it takes 675,000 petition signatures for an independent presidential candidate to get on the ballot in all 50 states but a Democratic candidate only has to collect 1/26th of that number? It's sad, but it's true. The other way that Republicans and Democrats work to limit independent and third party candidates is by giving themselves financial advantages. They do this by using taxpayer money to fund their party primaries. So while independent candidates and other third parties use their own money to meet the requirements for ballot access, the major parties are allowed to spend tax-payer money for the same purpose. This places independent voices at a disadvantage and the major parties at an advantage, because by creating a financial gap Democrats and Republicans are able to spend more on their campaign efforts.

Why should you be concerned?

Without fair ballot access and equality in funding of campaign finances, your government is effectively censoring the opinion of many candidates, first by making it difficult to qualify for ballot access to begin with and secondly by developing a financially unequal campaign environment. This means that you don't have a real voice in electing the people who govern us, and the two parties will continue to dominate our government and control your lives.
How can it be fixed?

Well setting a fair ballot access requirement that all candidates must meet is the first step. We should lowering the number of signatures required for an independent or third party candidate to get on the ballot. This lowers the unequal financial burden currently imposed upon these candidates and allows more varied voices to be heard.Then we need to end the end the funding of primary elections with tax payer money. Political Parties should all have to hold and fund their own primaries and nominate their own candidates. It isn't the role of the government to assist in picking the candidates to represent each party, it's the job of the party itself to decide how they want to choose their candidate. All candidates would then have to take financial responsibility for achieving ballot access and campaigning instead of giving a financial advantage to certain parties. As an added benefit this also means a taxpayer no longer has to unwillingly support the operation of ideologies he doesn't believe in.

What can I do to help?

Well you could call and write your senators and let them know that this is an issue that needs to be taken seriously, I'm sure they'd be glad to repeal the laws that keep them in power...not.

The real way to make a difference is by electing candidates that support fair ballot access and private party primaries, a candidate like Wes Upchurch who is running for Secretary of State in Missouri. For news on ballot access visit http://www.ballot-access.org/.