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A different kind of election

Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by Salty, Feb 12, 2010.

  1. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    A caller on Glen Beck today recommended that for elections that candidates will not have their political party indicated.

    Do you like the ideal?

    If so, how would you list the candidates?
    Two possibilities:

    1. Alphabetical.
    2. By lottery

    Thoughts?

    Salty
     
  2. ktn4eg

    ktn4eg New Member

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    Not necessarily, even though in some cases (last fall's US House race in upstate NY comes to mind) there's not much difference between D & R.

    TN does something almost similar to what that caller suggested when it comes to third party candidates (at least for US President). While the D & R candidates had their party affiliation on the ballot, all third party candidates (and there were almost a dozen as I recall) did not have their party affiliation listed. Instead, they were all simply listed as Independent.

    Thus you had all Libertarian, Constitutional, Green, etc., candidates running as "Independent."

    While I agree that if a voter chose to vote for a third party and couldn't even remember the name of the particular candidate that he/she wished to be elected, then I question how well informed that voter may be.

    OTOH I sometimes have wondered the same for those who may have voted D or R! :smilewinkgrin:
     
  3. Steven2006

    Steven2006 New Member

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    It's a silly idea for a few reasons.

    First because it is a waste of time to take it seriously because in reality it would never happen.

    Second, there is no legal reasoning behind making it a law.

    Third, even if you wanted to play what it, it is a poor idea because it would just lead to more people lying to get elected than you have now. At least now when a candidate aligns themselves with a common platform you have an indication of how they might govern once elected, even though many run to the left or right just to win votes.
     
  4. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Is it silly or do we need to remove political parties from the ballot
     
  5. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    OR and southwest WA campaigns this time were pretty much without parties till the ballot. Nobody wanted to be identified with anyone. The ads were little help unless at the end they said who paid for them then the party was mentioned, usually the opposite party of the guy running.
     
  6. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    I notice the same thing here in NY, virtually no candidate indiciated what party they were running for (or from :tongue3: )
     
  7. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    Party labels are helpful to me, even such labels as Green Party, Liberterian, etc.

    In Kentucky, though, our city commission and mayor's races are non-partisan.

    And all judicial races are non-partisan, with no party labels.
     
  8. SRBooe

    SRBooe New Member

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    And when there are no party labels - such as with judges - how do you know which way to vote? We all know that there are bad judges out there: ones with an agenda. Unless you track them and their actions in court, you have no idea of where they are coming from. Would a party affiliation give you a better idea of their beliefs and attitudes?

    Look at the nomination charades for Supreme Court justices. It is obvious that those in the Washington beltway know the party affiliations.
     
  9. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    In NY Judges are severely limited in what they can say in a campaign - basically all they tell us is their family, outside activities, education and previous jobs.
    However, when our political party was in the process of endorsing candidates we were permitted to ask the judicial candidates some general questions. For example I asked him should all DWI receives a jail sentence. His basic answer was not necessarily.
    So, SR you are correct, you have to do your homework...
     
  10. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    any new thoughts
     
  11. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    It would be a money saver if it eliminated the primary election. Each voter would list his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice and a first would be worth 3 points, a second 2 points, and a third one point. With most presidential elections being close, this should result in one person getting a majority in one ballot.
     
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