Caucuses and Primaries, part two

12 February 2008

On 9 February 2008, I attended the Republican caucuses in Quincy. I was disappointed at the number of attendees. However, the meeting was a fair and free forum for discussion of issues and candidates. There was no oath administered, no were the doors locked, as I had been led to expect. I would encourage everyone who has a vote to attend a caucus at least once in their life and become a part of the delgate process. The precinct level is the grassroots level, and is the place where most people can find expression and acceptance in the political process.
On a less than favorable note, the oaths mentioned in the previous Caucuses and Primaries article are printed on the envelope in which Grant Countians must return their Primary mail-in ballots. There are only two choices--Democrat and Republican, and one or the other box must be checked in order for the presidential vote to count. The Grant County Auditor's office says that these oaths are for housekeeping purposes only, to confirm that the person determined to vote Democrat or Republican. It leaves the impression that your vote will not be counted unless one or the other box is checked, even though there is a third ballot enclosed, that of levies, etc. only, and that only MEMBERS of the Republican Party can vote. It is impossible to verify one's stance in a given party, or at least it should be, as I believe the ballot is considered sacroscant in this nation, that is, private and personal in law and practice.
I believe that the election system in the state of Washington is potentially flawed. There seems to be little standardization of vote tallies, as evident in the Huckabee controversy currently before the State, and in the last gubernatorial contest. There is little accountability in the mail-in system and in the traditonal ballot box that is still available at City Halls in Grant County on Election Day. In order for a Constitutional Republic to accurately represent the will of the people it serves, it must accurately account for the vote of the those people, with a secure and secret ballot.

Caucuses and Primaries

31 January 2008

Listening to all the media coverage of the ongoing caucuses and primaries caused me to wonder: what is a caucus, what is a primary, and what is their importance to the election process.
The first definition of a caucus in the American Heritage dictionary is, “a meeting of the local members of a political party especially to select delegates to a convention or register preferences for candidates running for office.” So it is a members only way of selecting delegates for the convention of a particular political party. In Washington State, members of the Republican party are required to take an oath—“I declare that I am a member of the Republican party and I have not participated and will not participate in the 2008 precinct caucus or convention system of any other part”, after which they are sequestered in a meeting to choose their delegates. Members of the Democratic party take a similar oath—“I declare that I consider myself to be a Democrat and I will not participate in the nomination process of any other political party for the 2008 Presidential election,” and are likewise sequestered. Since they are private organizations this is a perfectly justifiable method of choosing delegates for their private conventions.
The American Heritage dictionary defines a direct primary as “a preliminary election in which a party's candidates for public office are nominated by direct vote of the people.” In the case of a primary, the people’s vote determines the candidates for each party. It is my understanding that the Republican Party will be assigning 51% of their delegate votes on the basis of the primary this year. The Democrat Party will not use the primary results for assigning any of their delegate votes
I have no problem with a private organization choosing who should represent it. If that is so, then we only need a caucus system. Under the original American system of a constitutional republic, it is the sovereign independent citizen that chooses his or her representatives. The current democratic system, which we have fallen into, subjects us to the political agendas of special interest groups and corporate sponsorship of candidates, denying the individual any true voice in the process, resulting in an election season that is little more than a popularity contest based on each candidate vying to say the loudest “ask not what you can do for yourselves but what I can do for you.” We are deceived and comforted by the idea that Big Brother is watching out for us and cares what happens to us, all the while we are being manipulated into doing what is good for those who want to stay in power, not what is lawful or based upon principles of true government. Horatio Seymour said that "the merit of our Constitution was, not that it promotes democracy, but checks it."
In Washington State, the primary system has become little more that an unofficial caucus. Instead of an open election, where the individual chooses who he or she thinks best represents them, we must choose a party and can only vote for that party’s candidates. Or we can be independent and vote for other candidates other that the two major parties. My question is this—why do we have both methods? Do the people choose in open election, or do parties choose in private meetings? What about third parties? Does this system work to open up the “free marketplace of ideas” or does it suppress true political freedom? The answer comes back to Power, and staying in Power, at the cost of destroying the very Constitution that guarantees freedom to choose. It is interesting that the United States Constitution does not mention political parties. Period. They are not a necessary part of choosing representatives. We do not need them.
What can you do to fix the problem? Ask your state legislators to begin working on restoring the open primary process. Vote in every election. Vote according to your conscience not your fear, not for party affiliation. Research what a candidate believes is the proper role of government and vote accordingly. Write letters to the editors of your local newspapers. Talk to everyone you know about the importance of being a part of the constitutional process of choosing representatives. Educate yourself on what is constitutional and what is not. It is time for the sovereign citizen of the United States of America to take back the God-given right to choose his or her own representatives, not a party representative.