----- Original Message ----- From: Jill Farrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 5:51 PM Subject: Steve Lilianthal's Commentary: NOTA: Power To The Voter - fcfnnn041604
> Beyond Gaza > > Insight Magazine's Kenneth Timmerman On Israel's Withdrawal > http://www.fcfnewsondemand.org/ > ------------------------------------------------------ > Principled Leadership, Resolve And Sense Of Purpose > > Freedom Alliance's Fred Gedrich On President Bush's Press Conference > http://www.fcfnewsondemand.org/ > ------------------------------------------------------ > Notable News Now > April 16, 2004 > > The Free Congress Commentary > None Of The Above > By Steve Lilienthal > > > Back in the mid-1990s the saying "None of the Above" was a popular one, no > doubt helped by Free Congress Foundation's own vigorous efforts to promote > the inclusion of ballot lines bearing that very label. > > The steam for such a ballot line dwindled, but the concept remains a valid > one in an era when many candidates for office - particularly incumbents - > have no competition or only token opponents. > > Nevada has such a line on its ballots but it is considered to be a > "non-binding" NOTA for the very reason that it has no real teeth. > > What the Free Congress Foundation desired was to place a NOTA line on > ballots that, in cases where a majority of voters selected the NOTA line > over the candidate of candidates seeking office, a new election would be > held. > > Even that idea proved threatening to the political establishment. Long-time > incumbents viewed the idea with great disdain. > > Still, there were some brave souls in legislatures who charged ahead in > promoting NOTA, including then-state representative Greg Kaza (R-MI), now > executive director of the Arkansas Policy Foundation, who actually > campaigned for re-election by making it a point to educate voters about the > NOTA option. He even went so far as to tell them they could write it on > their ballots. Kaza, displaying a selflessness and commitment to an issue > that is quite rare in politicians, actually had the state House of > Representatives pass a bill that would have allowed a NOTA ballot line > experiment in his own district in the next election only to have it killed > in the state Senate, controlled by establishment Republicans. > > Kaza recalls the reaction of many politicians during that fight: "You would > have thought I was trying to take away their salaries, the vitriol [the NOTA > proposal] attracted." Yet, he still sees it as a legitimate option. "It's an > important issue for conservatives if they want to appeal to the large number > of independent voters." > > The interesting thing about NOTA is that voters in some of the old Iron > Curtain countries and the Soviet Union itself had a form of NOTA. > > Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund and former U.S. representative Jim > Coyne (R-PA) wrote in their book Cleaning House: "In the 1989 semi-free > elections in Poland, voters were able to cross off the names they rejected - > every name if they wished. This allowed them to defeat even the unopposed > Communist incumbents, such as the sitting Polish prime minister, because > they didn't get the required absolute majority, or because less than half > the electorate voted. In the Soviet Union new elections with new candidates > had to be held in 200 out of 1,500 races for the Congress of People's > Deputies. In the runoff elections, over one hundred Communist incumbents > were defeated." > > "NOTA" may provide great fodder for the comic writers of late night talk > shows, but it can be an effective tool for political change. > > There have been cases in the United States where incumbents were seeking > re-nomination or re-election without real opposition or facing only token > challenges only to become enmeshed in scandal midway through the campaign. > In cases such as these, NOTA could become an effective tool that can be > wielded by voters to force an election that will result in better quality > candidates. > > The Free Congress Foundation never wanted voters to use the line > indiscriminately. When people vote, they should make careful and well > researched choices. But they should definitely have the option of a binding > NOTA line. > > Voters are already voting NOTA now by leaving their ballots blank. > > Those dissatisfied with the choices on their ballots should be able to say > so through their ballots and have it counted that way. > > In this age of huge campaign war chests and skillful redistricting, it's > time to place some power back with the voters. Having said that, don't think > the representatives of the people will be willing to give voters even a > modest - but potentially very effective - tool such as NOTA. However, if > enough reform-minded citizens in a state with the initiative process were > able to put a binding NOTA proposal were to place it on the ballot, it would > make for an interesting topic of debate and some interesting political > coalitions could be forged. > > Citizens do have the power to jump-start the political debate about NOTA in > the same way they did the term limits debate. In the end, they will have to > do so. If my memory serves me correctly, the villainous J.R. once told Bobby > on the TV show "Dallas": "Real power isn't something you're given. It's > something you take." Even if my recollection is foggy, there's a great deal > of truth behind that saying. > > Steve Lilienthal is Director of the Center for Privacy and Technology Policy > of the Free Congress Foundation. > > ------------------------------------------------------ > > The Debt To The Penny > > 04/12/2004 $7,162,025,763,951.47 > 04/06/2004 $7,151,900,213,503.45 > 03/26/2004 $7,131,615,529,890.35 > > 10/14/2003 $6,816,232,489,123.39 > > http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdpenny > > "There is not a more important and fundamental principle in legislation, > than that the ways and means ought always to face the public engagements; > that our appropriations should ever go hand in hand with our promises. To > say that the United States should be answerable for twenty-five millions of > dollars without knowing whether the ways and means can be provided, and > without knowing whether those who are to succeed us will think with us on > the subject, would be rash and unjustifiable. Sir, in my opinion, it would > be hazarding the public faith in a manner contrary to every idea of > prudence." James Madison > > ------------------------------------------------------ > > Today's FCF News on Demand > Visit http://www.fcfnewsondemand.org/ to hear these stories: > > Kenneth R. Timmerman, Senior Writer, Insight Magazine: Clearly it was good > news that the U.S. will be supporting Israel in their withdrawal from Gaza > and it's good news that the Israelis will be pulling out of Gaza. > > Fred Gedrich, Senior Policy Analyst, Freedom Alliance: President Bush's > press conference was a remarkable display. > > People are listening to FCF News on Demand. Be sure to let your friends know > that they can hear leading conservatives talk about issues that are > important to the future of our country. Please tell your local radio > stations and talk show hosts about FCF News on Demand! > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > Stay Informed. Get the right Books. > Three books for $1 each. > To learn more about the Conservative Book Club > click here > http://www.conservativebookclub.com/Join/JoinHome.asp?sour_cd=WC00166 > > ---------------------------------------------------- > For media inquiries, contact Jill Farrell mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Visit us on the web at http://www.freecongress.org/, > http://www.judicialselection.org/, and http://www.fcfnewsondemand.org. > Letters to the editor are welcome and may be published in future issues. > --------------------------------------------------------- > > > This publication is a service of the Free Congress Research and Education > Foundation, Inc. (FCF) and does not necessarily reflect its views. It is > not an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill nor an attempt to > assist or defeat any candidate running for public office. > Free Congress Foundation * 717 Second Street, NE * Washington, DC 20002 * > 202.546.3000 * Fax: 202.544.2819 > Project Manager: Jill Farrell * Copyright * 2004 Free Congress Foundation > - All Rights Reserved. > ______________________________________________________________ O texto acima e' de inteira e exclusiva responsabilidade de seu autor, conforme identificado no campo "remetente", e nao representa necessariamente o ponto de vista do Forum do Voto-E O Forum do Voto-E visa debater a confibilidade dos sistemas eleitorais informatizados, em especial o brasileiro, e dos sistemas de assinatura digital e infraestrutura de chaves publicas. __________________________________________________ Pagina, Jornal e Forum do Voto Eletronico http://www.votoseguro.org __________________________________________________
