While I suppose it could be a lot worse, it looks like the days of true citizen democracy in the Arizona Presidential Preference Primary might be over in 2016:
On a 48-3 margin Monday, the state House voted to scrap laws which let individuals put their names on the presidential preference primary simply by filing some paperwork. The result is that the Republicans seeking to make their pick for president this year have to search through a list of 23 contenders, ranging from Wayne Arnett of Tempe to Tucsonan Ronald Zack, to cast a vote for anyone who actually has a reasonable chance of becoming the nation’s next chief executive.
If the Senate goes along with HB2379, would-be presidential contenders beginning in 2016 will have to find at least 1,000 Arizonans willing to sign petitions to nominate them.
Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, the sponsor of the measure, said there needs to be some standard to limit the ballot to those who are “serious” about running.
What I personally resent, however, is that Rep. Farnsworth seems to think that just because a candidate is only on the Arizona ballot that they aren’t “serious” about running. So, Rick Santorum drops in once before a debate, Romney seems to ignore the state altogether, and I don’t recall Newt Gingrich stopping by in recent memory. How “serious” are these candidates about Arizonans and their concerns? At least the Project White House candidates have actually made an effort to meet people in town instead of dropping in on their private jets at the last minute. Maybe we could just save some money and ditch the primaries altogether. Someone else is essentially making these choices for us anyhow, so why pretend any of these candidates care all that much about our state?
But, instead, the national parties and their corporate patrons are upset that the ballot includes some names they don’t recognize, so Rep. Farnsworth stepped up to the plate for them. Good for him.
This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2012.
McCain, Gabby (not any more), Kyle, and Raul oly drop in once in awhile. So what’s your point?
They should then at least add a line for write-in candidates on the presidential preference primary, as the state does for every other office.
Or allow, as New Hampshire does, candidates to enter by paying a fee of $1,000 or under (which would at least add to the money in state coffers).
And at the very least with this change, they should allow open primaries, in which voters not affiliated with any party can participate in the presidential primary of their choice.
I do expect Tucson Weekly and Project White House are the cause of this change, but we love you anyway — even more, in fact, for what you’ve done here. It’s one of the best examples of civic journalism on the alt-weekly scene I’ve seen, and I grew up in the 60s with the Village Voice and worked for it (okay, as a messenger in display advertising) in ’74-’75.