The legislative session is coming to a close, but HB 794 is stuck in the Senate Rules Committee.

The original bill would have dramatically lowered our state’s high ballot access barriers. We agreed with the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jason Saine, when he urged us to support transforming the bill into a study bill in order to get it passed. And it did pass the House with an overwhelming 109-5 vote.

That was a month ago. Since then, both houses have been busy working on various budget and tax reform bills. The bill has been left dormant in the Senate Rules Committee.

Time is running out. The legislature may adjourn by the end of June. We need to take action now if we want real ballot access reform to begin.

Please call Sen. Tom Apodaca, Senate Rules Committee chair, at 919-733-5745 and urge him to move HB 794 Voter Freedom Act to the Senate floor.

Call your state Senator as well and ask them to let Sen. Apodaca know they support this legislation. You can look up you state Senator here.

HB 794 is a study bill. It would make no change in the law.

But it would authorize the Joint Legislative Elections Oversight Committee to study amending the definition of political party, and the nomination process, amending the requirements for unaffiliated and write-in candidates, allowing for nomination by convention by smaller parties, and providing that smaller parties electing to have primaries will have the results determined by plurality.

These are all the points covered in the original bill.

If the bill is not passed by the Senate, we will essentially be back to square one. We’ll have to begin the process again in January 2014, during the short session when the legislature is supposed to focus solely on budget issues. And even if this study bill is passed, the results of the study will not be ready for the 2014 election.

Making a direct telephone call is the best way to have your voice heard.

Ask to speak to the Senator; but if that is not possible, leave a message with the secretary or legislative assistant, and be sure to mention you are a constituent (if appropriate) and that you support the Free the Vote Coalition.

Click here for more information.

The symposium will be June 28 at the Hampton Inn, (I-40 Exit 290) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a break for lunch. Cost is $15 prepaid, $20 at the door. There will also be a town hall discussion from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Preparing and Passing Constitutional Legislation in a Broken System

by Richard Fry
General Counsel, Patriot Coalition

What we citizens are experiencing with our political systems in America is what I call a representative disconnect. The majority of our “public servants” either do not understand or do not care that after supporting and defending the Constitution (securing our  fundamental rights) their job is to do what the majority of citizens want (not what they think is best for us) within the bounds of the Constitution.

Currently, and frankly for some time now,  a majority of our “elected officials”  have not served our interests but the interests of special interest groups including the major political parties themselves. The parties are more concerned about staying in power than our wishes or the Constitution (or even winning elections), hence the GOP leadership’s effort to support open borders in hopes of garnering more special interest support.  Our public servants do not listen to us but to groups such as the Chamber of Commerce who is openly supporting amnesty for illegal aliens, open borders and Sustainable Development.

Our public servants are fiduciaries. That means they owe us the highest level of fidelity. They have a duty of transparency and disclosure and we have the duty of accountability i.e., to hold our public servants accountable.  

In some circumstance they have an affirmative duty to disclose information to us and they are never to conceal or otherwise hamper our ability to know what they are doing. This should be non-negotiable. Unless they are transparent in their actions we cannot fulfill our duty to hold them accountable and the whole system crumbles.

If there is a system or procedure which conceals the action of our “public servants” they must inform us of such and work to change that procedure. And, we have a duty to try to root such out.

The failure to record votes especially terminal votes (those that effectively end or “kill” a bill) should be recorded so all know who was responsible for the bills demise. Likewise, if there are votes that relate to whether a vote should be recorded that vote needs to be recorded so we can judge whether such procedure was used for the sake of efficiency or has the effect of concealment.

Hidden within the House and Senate rules, especially those related to committee actions, there are rules that serve no real purpose but to obscure the actions of our elected officials. These must be identified and stricken. Although some will defend these rules as necessarily for the sake of efficiency, trading transparency for the sake of efficiency is no trade off at all, but is a short road to disaster and despotism.  

Remember this regarding transparency and all issues with which you deal with your legislators: You are the boss and you are paying the freight. If you want more transparency at the cost of efficiency that is your right; their only question should be how quickly they can get it done.

On matters of principle do what is right and then stand in faith knowing God is the ultimate Chairman of the Board.  Don’t back down.  Don’t compromise.  Don’t stop fighting for the Republic.

http://www.patriotcoalition.com/ ‎