Nomination Papers
Michaud wanted to force a Republican Primary with Carcieri. However in order to do so he had to obtain 1000 valid voter signatures on his Nomination Papers. Unfortunately for all of us, he did not. I always sign ANYONE's candidacy papers. They aren't endorsements. They just get a name on the ballot. Choice is good.
So he had a staffer help him. Okay so far. But then the trouble starts. Getting so many valid signatures is not as easy as you might think (been there, done that). They must be signed on the CORRECT paper for the town/city. These papers are NOT interchangeable between towns/cities. The signature must be recognizable by those doing the checking & the address must be correct (sometimes people move & forget to tell the registrar). The voter must also be listed as "Active" meaning they have actually voted recently. Duplicates don't count, of course. You must also hand them in to the correct town/city on the due date. It helps if you have taken the time/trouble to actually visit each town and purchase a disk with the voter registration names on it(updates are free). But this takes time & personnel. You must also then periodically check the signatures that you have obtained to approximate how many are valid. Aiming for double the amount needed is a good idea. Getting 1000 signatures is no joke & not to be taken lightly or for the faint-hearted or the in-experienced.
To stand blindly in malls is tough. Probably a good portion of those signatures have a problem. To blindly phone people & ask if you can use their signature is also problematic & a no-no.
It doesn't have to be this way. I also find it questionable that SOME candidates (like the Guv) get their papers BEFORE the 4th of July, while the rest of us receive them afterwards. It's much harder AFTER the fourth than it would be before, when people naturally gather.
It doesn't have to be this way as I've discussed & campaigned for before ("Fair Elections"). I'm sorry that Michaud didn't get on the ballot. I would have signed his papers (you can be any party). I'm also sorry that someone got arrested over this. Bet they didn't tell the paper bearer this when they offered him $ to obtain signatures.
I'll bet this isn't the first time this has happened, but I do wish that it could be the last.
So he had a staffer help him. Okay so far. But then the trouble starts. Getting so many valid signatures is not as easy as you might think (been there, done that). They must be signed on the CORRECT paper for the town/city. These papers are NOT interchangeable between towns/cities. The signature must be recognizable by those doing the checking & the address must be correct (sometimes people move & forget to tell the registrar). The voter must also be listed as "Active" meaning they have actually voted recently. Duplicates don't count, of course. You must also hand them in to the correct town/city on the due date. It helps if you have taken the time/trouble to actually visit each town and purchase a disk with the voter registration names on it(updates are free). But this takes time & personnel. You must also then periodically check the signatures that you have obtained to approximate how many are valid. Aiming for double the amount needed is a good idea. Getting 1000 signatures is no joke & not to be taken lightly or for the faint-hearted or the in-experienced.
To stand blindly in malls is tough. Probably a good portion of those signatures have a problem. To blindly phone people & ask if you can use their signature is also problematic & a no-no.
It doesn't have to be this way. I also find it questionable that SOME candidates (like the Guv) get their papers BEFORE the 4th of July, while the rest of us receive them afterwards. It's much harder AFTER the fourth than it would be before, when people naturally gather.
It doesn't have to be this way as I've discussed & campaigned for before ("Fair Elections"). I'm sorry that Michaud didn't get on the ballot. I would have signed his papers (you can be any party). I'm also sorry that someone got arrested over this. Bet they didn't tell the paper bearer this when they offered him $ to obtain signatures.
I'll bet this isn't the first time this has happened, but I do wish that it could be the last.
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