I testified in support of fusion voting on behalf of the Independent Party at an interim committee hearing of the Senate Committee on Rules and Elections today.

Senator Brad Avakian spoke in favor of his introduction of the measure first, followed by Barb Dudley, a professor at Portland State University who is co-chair of the Working Families Party of Oregon.

Our current system, or any system in which 3rd party candidates are primarily relegated to the role of spoiler, is broken. We believe that it is contributing to voter apathy, the disillusionment of voters toward the legislature, and the disillusionment of voters toward both major political parties. ...

Fusion voting offers us a different way of moving forward.

Rather than locking minor parties out of the political process, Fusion gives them an opportunity to collaborate with the major political parties on a platform and agenda that strengthens all sides while encouraging candidates to reach out to minor political parties and to win their nomination.

Read my full testimony below the fold

The Oregonian
February 03, 2006

The political parties tack up another "No Trespassing" sign, but voters may get a chance to open up primary elections
Friday, February 03, 2006
The Oregonian

Democrat and Republican partisans have become burly bouncers stationed at the entrance to Oregon's political system, turning away one independent after another with a condescending smile, "Sorry, private party."

The Oregonian
January 23, 2006

No party? Good luck getting on the ballot
Oregon elections - A new law makes it much more difficult for independent candidates to seek office
Monday, January 23, 2006
HARRY ESTEVE
The Oregonian

Independent candidates, already a rare breed in Oregon, could be headed for extinction under a new, barely noticed law that took effect this month.

Legislative leaders and other state lawmakers who supported the change say they were trying to keep Oregon elections fair and "honorable" when they tightened restrictions on who can sign a nominating petition.

But critics say the new language makes it far more difficult for unaffiliated candidates to get on the ballot. They call it a thinly veiled power grab by Republican and Democratic party leaders to keep competition at bay and reduce the risk of "spoiler" candidates affecting close races.

Register-Guard
February 16, 2006

Oregon elections - A new law makes it much more difficult for independent candidates to seek office
A Register-Guard Editorial
Published: Thursday, February 16, 2006

Nearly a quarter of Oregon voters are not registered as members of any political party, even though such voters surrender the right to participate in often-decisive party primary elections. Of those who maintain membership in either the Republican or Democratic parties, many if not most think of themselves as independent-minded voters who reject blind partisan loyalty.

Albany Democrat-Herald
February 28, 2006

Our legislators do not like independent candidates. So last session they made it more complicated for independents to get on the ballot. In the process they abridged the rights of Oregon voters.

During the 2004 presidential campaign season, Oregon Democrats complained when Republicans made an effort to get Ralph Nader on the ballot by means of petition. The Republicans hoped that Nader would siphon votes from John Kerry, thereby giving Bush a chance to carry the state. But they fell short on both counts.

The Bulletin, Bend, Oregon
October 4, 2006

Greg Wasson, of Salem, has filed suit in federal court to overturn an Oregon law that makes it harder for independent candidates to get on the ballot. We don't like the law either and have said the Legislature should scuttle it.

Voters used to be able to sign a nominating petition for an independent candidate as they saw fit. A law passed in 2005 took that power away.

This piece appeared on the OPB Radio show "Oregon Territory"

Fusion voting used to be legal in Oregon-but that was a hundred years ago. Now there's a movement to bring fusion voting back.

Fusion voting allows more than one party to nominate the same candidate. Votes from different parties are then combined for that candidate's total number of votes.

Under Oregon's current election laws, candidates are nominated by their own parties in primary elections. The primary election winners than face off in a general election.

In 2005, the Oregon Legislature passed HB 2614, which made it far more difficult for any unaffiliated candidate to quality for the ballot in Oregon. Under HB 2614, any voter’s signature on a petition to place an unaffiliated candidate on the ballot is invalid, if the signer was a Republican or Democrat who votes in the Oregon primary election. This is by far the most restrictive system in America for unaffiliated candidates to qualify for the ballot.

Dan Meek and Linda Williams have filed an amicus brief filed in U.S. District Court of Oregon to challenge the constitutionality of HB 2614. The suit was filed by Greg Wasson, a political activist who lives in Salem. The opponents are the Secretary of State and the counter-amicus, the Democratic Party of Oregon.

The amicus brief is attached.