January 9, 2002

How to maximize your political choices

If you're a registered voter for the Reform, Natural Law, American Independent, Green or Libertarian Parties, I know how you can maximize your influence during the coming year. Unfortunately, you may not like my idea. Re-register, either as a Democrat or Decline to State (Non-Partisan) before Feb. 18. After the March 5 Primary, rejoin your party at your leisure. You'll have done it no harm by your short-lived defection.

The main purpose of the March election is to choose candidates to represent each of the seven recognized parties in the Nov. General Election. This time around, by happenstance, there's almost no competition inside the smaller political parties. The Green Party has two persons running for State Controller. There's also a competitive field running for their County Council, the Green version of a Central Committee. With those exceptions, each of the minor party candidates running in March will almost certainly be on the ballot in November.

Those who vote either Republican or Democratic ballots will have the widest choices for the state constitutional offices. Those registered as Decline to State (Non-Partisan) will be able to choose to vote one of five different ballots. And they needn't make up their minds which ballot to use until Election Day arrives.

Let's see if I can keep this as simple as possible. On March 5 Democrats in Pacifica will get a regular Democratic ballot, which includes the candidates for Third Sup. District Demo Central Committee.

Republicans get a Republican ballot. They've no Central Committee election. Not enough candidates signed up. Everyone who applied will be appointed. If you're registered as Decline to State, on Election Day you'll be allowed to choose from one of five specially printed ballots. In the Third Supervisorial District, you can choose a "Decline to State (DTS) Democratic" ballot which has all the choices a regular Democrat can make, with the exception of the Central Committee race. Or you can choose a DTS Republican ballot, which has all the choices of a regular Republican ballot but is tracked separately. There are also DTS Natural Law and American Independent ballots, but voting either is a true exercise in futility, since the partisan candidates being voted on will be on the Nov. ballot regardless. A Non-Partisan ballot has only the non-partisan county offices, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the state measures. Don't bother with it.

Let me sum up for Pacifica voters. To participate in Democratic Central Committee choices, re-register as a Democrat if you aren't one already. Otherwise, re-register as "Decline to State" if you aren't one already. By doing so, on Election Day you'll be able to choose versions of either a Democratic ballot or a Republican ballot. (You could also vote an American Independent, a Natural Law or a simple Non-Partisan ballot, but those three would give you the fewest real choices.)

Each precinct will have 12 separate ballots available on election day. There will be two separate Democratic, two Republican, two AIP and two Natural Law ballots, a Non-partisan ballot with only the Non-Partisan choices everybody gets, and the Green, Libertarian and Reform ballots for the members of those parties.

Your best bet? Re-register now as Decline to State. That way, you don't have to make up your mind until election day. Why the politicians set it up this way is anybody's guess. For maximum complication and minimum benefit, they couldn't have done it better.

E mail Paul Azevedo at Paul@thereactor.net. Check his website at http://www.thereactor.net.