A new law went into effect in Arizona that permanently entrenches the Republican and Democratic parties in that state. The law states that voter registration forms allow people to check a box which registers them as “Republican,” “Democrat,” or “Other.” People that check “Other” are allowed to express a party preference on a line near the boxes. However, in practice, officials at government offices do not recognize registration with minor parties, claiming that “Other” means independent or not affiliated. This is important, because whether political parties in Arizona are allowed to have candidates on the ballot is based on how many people register to vote as members of their party.
Arizona already has a problem that because of historical factors, many districts of the state have a vast majority of registered Republicans and other districts have a vast majority of registered Democrats. Because of this, there is a tacit agreement that one party will not run a candidate against the other party in many races. That leaves the Republican or Democratic candidate unopposed unless a member of another party places someone on the ballot. If minor parties are not allowed to run candidates, the Republicans and Democrats can divide Arizona like a pie at Thanksgiving dinner. The Arizona Libertarian Party and the Arizona Green Party have filed a lawsuit.
The person responsible for this legislation was Frank Atenori, a Republican State Senator from the Tucson area. When asked about the choice of only being able to register for two parties, he responded, "They didn't want 15 million party boxes on there because there's no room," Frank Antenori is now running for Congress. As a Conscious Conservative, I believe that there is no room for Frank Attenori in the United States government. Lt’s hope that someone will be allowed on the ballot to run against him.
Contact Frank Attenori and make your feelings known: http://www.antenori.com/
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