Appeal: Remove Blocks to Filing for Office
Currently, there are two requirements which are blocking an average person from filing in February 2018 for the general election primary. First, candidates are required to either pay a FEE ($10,000 for House of Representatives) to the state Democratic Party for its “ballot endorsement” so that the Secretary of State of Arkansas can place their names on the primary ballot. The alternative requirement of the state Democratic Party is to give a candidate 60 days (or less) to collect signatures of Registered Democratic voters in the District (this year that is 8% of those who voted in the 2012 Governor's Democratic Primary election, which equals 4,513 signatures). Neither of these is a viable choice for most people who are otherwise “qualified” and wish to run for office to put “people first” candidates back in Congress. Why?
First, in my opinion, requiring a candidate to pay such an outrageous fee (much less any fee) is tantamount to a “poll tax” requirement that previously was used to prevent “poor people-especially non-whites” from voting. We are past those days, at least I thought that we were. It costs NOTHING to have a person's name on the ballot since the ballot is required anyway! Voters should be appalled as I am that a political party could or would wish to limit access to the ballot to those who can afford it, whether through savings or a loan or by obtaining funds from friends and supporters. Money in politics has been and is a growing problem in elections. When large donors can spend whatever they want on TV ads through PAC's, the Democratic Party should be fighting this trend by allowing all who wish to run and who are educated, have progressive ideas, and willing to go through the rigors of a campaign to do so without what amounts to “buying” a place on the ballot. It is just wrong, and all voters should stand up and demand that this requirement be removed.
Second, in my opinion, requiring a candidate to spend time and money looking for qualified signatures is a wasted effort! While there are nearly 400,000 voters in District One, you might be shocked to learn that there are only 18,000 registered Democrats and only 16,000 registered Republicans. That means that a candidate must obtain not 8% but 25% of the registered Democrats. These are spread out over 30 counties in eastern Arkansas. How do you contact these voters? While there is a list available from the Secretary of State's office (which I have purchased and have divided into counties, cities, and by last name), imagine the number of volunteers needed to personally contact each voter, get a signature, and get it notarized. Imagine the cost to accomplish that. Even if the first 4,513 people did sign, it would be too expensive to do this! Again, we see wasted money being a block to gaining ballot access. It is just wrong, and all voters should stand up and demand that this requirement be removed.
While I seek to have these requirements removed, it is not just for me. Any candidate for office should not have to PAY to run for office. The only purpose that it serves is to fill the coffers of the state Democratic Party while depleting any funds available to actually campaign for office. County committees do the same thing, though the filing “fees” are lower, depending on the office. This too is wrong! If we want the best people to run for office, MONEY should not be an impediment to that end. I encourage all Democratic voters to contact the Arkansas Democratic Party in Little Rock and demand that these blocks be removed! Send letters and emails and call (if you can find a phone number) until democracy removes money from this filing process! It's bad enough that campaigns cost as much as they often do; those who are supposed to be supporting candidates shouldn't be “profiting” from the candidates themselves!
Robert “Bob” Butler
Hopefully a primary ballot candidate for District One-Arkansas Congress!
P.O. Box 193
Marmaduke, AR 72443
