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According to the Voter Choice Coalition, a
Duluth-based group of “independent repre
sentatives from several third political parties
as well as citizens' organizations,” Georgia
has the most stringent ballot access barriers
of any state in the U.S. In local races, third
party candidates are required to collect sig
natures from no less than five percent of the
registered voters in the district of the office
sought—10 times the national average. For
statewide races, petition signatures are
required from one percent of all registered
voters in the state. Democrats and
Republicans, meanwhile, do not have to peti
tion to appear on ballots.
The Voter Choice Act would lower the
amount of signatures in local races to five
percent of the votes cast in the previous
election for the office sought, with a max
imum limit of 3,000 signatures required. In
state races the requirement would be low
ered to two percent of votes cast in the pre
vious election, with a maximum limit of
7.5(H). This would make Georgia the “10th
worst" state in terms of ballot access bar
riers and. claims Voter Choice Coalition s on
line literature, would “very likely lead to
there being three to five candidates on the
ballot."
The Coalition believes current Georgia
election laws effectively keep independent
and third party candidates out of most races
by using up valuable time and scarce finan
cial resources just to get on the ballot
Petition signatures have to be gathered by
volunteers walking door to door, and many
signatures end up being disqualified on tech
nicalities.
The injustice of the current system, says
the Coalition, is illustrated by the fact that
the number of signatures required to appear
on the ballot often exceeds the number of
voters who actually vote. The Coalition web
site (voterchoice.org) states that in the 1998
primaries for the Georgia House, 32
Democrats and Republicans received fewer
votes than the five percent petition require
ment they would have had to meet if they
had been independent or third-party candi
dates.
The Coalition blames poor voter turnout
in Georgia on lack of choice at the polls. In
1998, 29 (52 percent) senators and 107 (59
percent) representatives ran unopposed. Of
those representatives. 76 (42 percent) also
ran unopposed in their primaries. Once they
paid the $400 qualifying fee, as the Coalition
says, “their election was a ‘done deal,' 76 of
our representatives simply bought their
seats for $400."
In Athens-Clarke County, only Rep. Louise
McBee (D-Athens) faced opposition in the
last general election. Rep. Keith Heard (D-
Athens) and Rep. Ralph Hudgens (R-Hull), as
well as Sen. Paul Broun (D-Athens) ran unop
posed.
McBee voted against tabling HB672. “I
thought we might as well go ahead and deal
with it,” she says. “I was for the bill."
Both Heard and Hudgens voted to table
the Voter Choice Act. At presstime. Heard
had not returned Flagpole's call, and
Hudgens could not be reached.
Dr. Helmut Forren. Voter Choice Coalition
executive director, says votes for or against
tabling the bill can be interpreted several
ways. “It’s difficult for us to read the support
or lack of support through the table vote."
he explains. “There were people wanting to
table because they wanted it to pass and
were afraid we didn't have the votes yet.
There were people who voted not to table
because they wanted us to lose and didn’t
think we had the votes."
Forren says before HB672 was tabled, it
had the support of “40 to 45 percent” of
state representatives. “We were close to
having a passing vote. Al’ we have to io is
pick up those few additional co-sponsors."
The measure could be revived in this ses
sion. After a bill has been tabled, it requires
a majority vote to re-introduce it
While Forren and the Coalition work to
get HB672 back on the House floor, tiie Voter
Choice Act is also working its way through
the state Senate as SB358. sponsored by Sen
Donzella James (D-Atlanta)
Those interested in telling their legisla
tors how they feel about the Voter Choice
Act can call them by finding their telephone
numbers at ganet.org/legis, or by calling the
Senate information office at (800) 282-5803
or the House information office at (800) 282-
5800 Supporters can sign the Voter Choice
Coalition's on-line petition at voter
choice.org. ^3rad Aaron)
THIS MSIIIM WSILI
X WROTE CHARLES
"SPARKY" SCHULZ
A FAN LETTER BACK
IN *92, AND HE RE
SPONDED BY INVITING
ME 0? TO ONE 5N00PY
place for lunch—
WHICH REALLY SAYS
A LOT ABOUT THE
MAN...I MEAN, I
WAS JUST SOME
G00FBALL LEFT WING
ALTERNATIVE PRESS
GUY AND HE WAS
CHARLES SCHULZ,
FOR CHRISSAKES —
--BUT WE WERE BOTH CARTOONISTS, AND
SO HE WAS WILLIN6 TO SPEND THE SET
TER PART OF AN AFTERNOON WITH ME,
DISCUSSING OUR SHARED PROFESSION...
IF I WERE A
BETTER ARTIST,
X'D BE A
PAINTER, AND
IF X WERE A
BETTER WRITER,
X'D wKfTE
BOOKS—
--BUT I'M NOT,
SO I DRAW
CARTOONS’
HIS DEDICATION TO HIS CRAFT IS WORTH NOTING...
A LOT OF SUCCESSFUL CARTOONISTS EMPLOY SO
MANY ASSISTANTS, THEIR WORK MIGHT AS WELL
BE PRODUCED ON A FACTORY LNE—BUT SCHULZ
CONTINUED TO LETTER, PENCIL AND INK THE
STRIP HIMSELF, EVEN AS FAIL*** HEALTH CAUSED
HtS LINE WORK TO TREMBLE LIKE LEAVES N A
6ENTLE BREEZE...
i
s N
•
by TOM TOMORROW
MORTALITY WAS ON HIS MIND
EVEN THEN...HE JOKED THAT HIS
ONE REGRET WAS THAT HE PROB
ABLY WOULD NOT BE AROUND
TO VOTE AGAINST A PARTICU
LAR POLITICIAN IN THE '96
ELECTIONS...AND TOLD ME THAT
THE STRIP WOULD DIE WITH Him •
THOU&rf MAINLY BECAUSE HIS
FAMILY HAD INSISTED THAT NO
ONE ELSE BE ALLOWED TO TAKE
IT OVER...
HOW STRANGE THAT HE PASSED
AWAY AS HIS Final STRIP RAN
IN THE WEEKEND PAPERS...THE *
STRIP DIDN'T DIE WITH HIM—
HE DIED WITH THE STRiP.
AND, ONE F*4AL THOUGHT*. HIS NFLUCNCE ON
A LOT OF US MAY NOT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
OBVIOUS, BUT
IT WAS PROFOUNO.
• ’W’f.W.i.
CHARLES M. SCHULZ, NOV. It, >911 - FIB. 12,1000.
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