Merit-bound Alley

Courtesy of Tyler Patrick Nixon, here is the letter that he handed out to members of the House before Saturday night’s big win. Let’s get him and Karen into office soon, Delaware.

Tyler Patrick Nixon

Wilmington, Delaware

June 30, 2007

TO :    THE DELAWARE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

RE :    ELECTION REFORM PROPOSAL -  INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING

Thank you for your service to the people of Delaware as our representatives in government.   You are the voices we all count on to act in the best interests of the citizenry and ensure government is truly the peoples’ servant and never their master.

This year we have seen legislative proposals introduced to alter Title 15 of our state code – the law governing our elections.   In a republican democracy like ours, there is perhaps no more profound act lawmakers can undertake than to change election laws.   Of all the laws governing the people of Delaware election laws are the only ones that directly determine how and whether the people of Delaware truly govern themselves. 

As you wind up this session and prepare for a well-earned break over the interim adjournment, I would like to offer you some information to consider.  It offers a positive,  progressive means to further democracy and self-governance by expanding the voice of the people in our elections. 

It is a revolutionary voting system called “Instant Runoff Voting” (IRV) that is taking hold around the country in a variety of jurisdictions large and small.  The response of voters has been overwhelming in support of it, wherever it has been proposed or adopted.  The system eliminates many of the problems associated with traditional ballot methods, including “spoiler” and minority-elected candidates.   If adopted in Delaware it could eliminate the need for divisive, contentious party primary contests that often see paltry turnout but nonetheless are conducted at great cost to the taxpayers.

I urge you to consider this proposal as you reflect on the needs of the people of Delaware and the imperative that our elections not be restrictive, corrosive partisan battles but rather free, equal, and worthy contests of ideas and leadership for the future.

Again, thank you for your service to the people of Delaware.  Have a great summer and a happy, successful break until we meet again next year.

                                                                            Best Regards,

                                                                                /signed/

Below are two quotes taken from the comments on DWAs wonderful post about HB177:

Tyler Nixon says:

I must hand it to Allan Loudell. He probingly eviscerates these two legislators for having no logical or even rational arguments to support this major change to Delaware’s election structure. The rambling, dodgy non-responses in these interviews, not to mention the apparent cluelessness of what their own legislation will do, is testament to how HB 177 is a pure power play against democracy and civil rights by “major” party elites.

According to cursory testimony before the House Administration Committee (translate : “fast track” committee) the bill was written by Richard Forsten, the Del. GOP Parliamentarian, and Betsy Daniello, the daughter of the Del. Democratic Party chair. If this is not an example of blatant self-interest and insiders gaming the system at the expense of civil rights, I don’t know what is.

These two interviews are also full of cutesy little “game theory” catch phrases, as if these are sufficient or even appropriate justifications for HB 177 : “you can’t have your cake and eat it too”, “elections are not double elimination tournaments”, blah blah blah.

No, elections are not double elimination tournaments. They are not tournaments at all, Senator Copeland. They are the people’s only direct voice in choosing our government. They should not be manipulated with such a paternalistic, petty, and cavalier attitude.

Further, the bill and its sponsors seem to be hysterically focused on the non-existent situation in which a candidate loses a major party primary and then somehow becomes the candidate for another party. This is a red herrring. You have to file in July for an office and be nominated by a minor party before the major party primary. No one can run off after losing a primary and suddenly grab another party’s nomination.

These sponsors completely ignore the real world situations of major party candidates being nominated by another party long before their party’s primary. They also ignore the reality of uncontested major party candidates who have been nominated by another party. These are real scenarios and the rights of the candidates and “minor” parties are taken away in these situations by HB 177, just so the major parties can control how other parties do business.

Our Constitution mandates elections to be “free and equal”. The so-called “major” parties’ hierarchies are willing to betray this in a vindictive effort to respond to the blowback they are getting from their internal hierarchies’ machinations and manipulations.

The mere avenue of crossover candidacies is itself a needed balance against the reality of how the hierarchies of both major parties have gamed the process and flouted fairness on fundamental levels.

The Delaware election code begins : “The purpose of this title is to assure the people’s right to free and equal elections, as guaranteed by our state Constitution. To that end, the full exercise of that right demands that the people be afforded the means to form political parties, nominate candidates and cast ballots for whomever they choose.”

This is fine until they add this (unconstitutional) premise, that proceeds to nullify the previous statement :

“At the same time, however, lengthy ballots which list a profusion of political parties and unaffiliated candidates, many of which are not serious contenders and lack even a modicum of community support, tend to create voter confusion and to clog the election machinery.”

This little addition is totally unconstitutional, as is the the use of the voter registration system to create a party affiliation tracking system to segregate “minor” political parties for lesser treatment. Now with HB177 the “major” party controllers want to tighten their grip with this sweeping legislation to take away the political free speech rights both of candidates and entire masses of citizens who have come together as a political party.

The Delaware Constitution very specifically limits voter registration to the sole purpose of determining voter eligibility - NOT to promote the interests of the two major parties or create a two-tier system of election rights.

Article V § 4. Registration of voters; days for registration; application to strike name from list; appeals; registration as prerequisite for voting.

Section 4. The General Assembly shall enact uniform laws for the registration of voters in this State entitled to vote under this Article, which registration shall be conclusive evidence to the election officers of the right of every person so registered to vote at any General Election while his or her name shall remain on the list of registered voters, and who is not at the time disqualified under the provisions of Section 3 of this Article; and no person shall vote at such General Election whose name does not at that time appear in said list of registered voters.

HB 177 opens a huge constitutional and legal can of worms that these legislators may be better to think twice about. I welcome this fight. It is high time the election system serves the people and not the desired status quo and unearned advantages of the two major parties’ elites.

Ballot reform that eliminates the structuring of our ballot around political party slates is long overdue. Some states list no party affiliations on their ballots - you have to be smarter than just a blindly partisan switch-puller for a tidy little party slate, all set up for you like we have in Delaware.

The ballot should be a grid around two things : the office and the candidates for that office. IF party affiliation is listed at all, it should be under the candidates’ names. Voters should not have to go scanning across a field of blank boxes to find all the candidates for an office, just so that political parties can have our ballots used as subliminal advertising, with top billing going to the D’s and then the R’s.

HELP DEFEAT HB 177. It is an assault on civil rights and democracy.

Mike Protack says:

This bill is #199 on my list what I care about. #198 is the price of bannanas. #200 is the price of apricots.

Get my drift?

I have two questions for you, my faithful reader:

1. Can you define a) the dedicated public servant and b) the airline pilot
2. Which of these two gentlemen is running for public office?

See, question 1 is not too tough. It shows who has a command of election law and who flies airplanes.

Question 2 is a little bit more difficult. See, it may seem that a guy like Tyler, who works his ass off on a daily basis for the public good and is able to intelligently discuss just about every issue that you can throw at him is not the one who has announced that he is running for Governor! No, it’s Mr. Protack, whose contribution to a discussion about a bill that will significantly change DE election law is (again):

This bill is #199 on my list what I care about. #198 is the price of bannanas. #200 is the price of apricots.

Get my drift?

Who would you want serving us in our government?

Discuss.

Well, like most people, I am rather disappointed in the election results. I was hoping to see Carper and Castle booted, and was denied. The most disappointing is Ferris Wharton’s bewildering loss. It just goes to show that nepotism and bullshit lies, not experience, are what it takes to get votes in Delaware. It’s a crying shame that all the straight-ticketers missed the opportunity to elect elect a man that was going treat the AGs office with the stability and dignity it deserves, but instead elected a man who is going to use the office as a simple stepping-stone.

On a brighter note, I’m happy with the way the Auditor race turned out. I have every confidence that Tom Wagner is going to pursue his job with the same dedication he has shown in the past. Tom was kind enough to give me a few moments to talk about the Christina investigation. See the previous post for that.

There is one particular election that I have mixed feelings about, and that is the 1st Senate seat. On one hand, I realize that it’s fantastic that Tyler got 6% considering the resources he had available, and I’m happy for him. On the other, and this may be my green idealism showing, I really was hoping for a win. I guess all we can do is wait for the next run. Tyler will always have my support in any way I can give it.

On the national front, it came as no surprise that the Dems took the house. I’ll be looking forward to see how Montana and Virginia decide the Senate majority. I was also very happy to see Rick Santorum lose his seat to Casey. I don’t know why I dislike Santorum so much; it may be because he comes off as such a slimeball, and normally votes exactly opposite of what is right for this country. Yeah, that’s probably it.
As it turns out, I was able to make it to the GOP party, but tired out before I could make it to the Dems. The mood there was fairly grim as more and more results popped up blue. I almost felt pity when I saw Priscilla Rakestraw’s sour expression thoughout the night, but giggled instead. I got to hang with Mike Matthews for a while, met John Allison of Kilroy’s Delaware and Ryan S. of Jokers to the Right, and generally had a fun time. A moment of note was when Mike and I inadvertently offended one GOPer by giving thanks for Santorum’s well-deserved loss. This got the GOPers notice, who then asked us why we were happy about that. I replied that I was happy he lost because Santorum is so sleazy. GOPer went away.

Another interesting moment had me chuckling and shaking my head in disbelief. As I was leaving, and having a cigarette outside the lobby, who pulls up but Nick Manolakos and his crew. I didn’t get to see his broken sideview mirror, but what I did see was a woman (I assume his wife) get out of the car, sees me having a smoke, wearing a shirt that can only be described as “snazzy”, and listening to my Tom Wagner interview from my voice recorder and asks, “Are you parking cars?”

UPDATE: I did not park the car.

It may surprise some that this year is the first time I’ve ever voted. This year has been a huge awakening for me, and I have several people to thank for that. I’ve always been an opinionated bastard, but up until now, have lacked the conviction to do anything about it. A thick pall of defeatism, mixed with an ignorance of the process didn’t help either.

Those that do their civic duty every year wonder why folks like me never voted, well here it is: ignorance, defeatism, and cynicism. This year, I’ve spent at least a couple hours a day studying the midterm elections, the process, and the candidates. I feel immensely satisfied with how my vote went, and incredibly stupid for not having done it before. While that can’t be changed, it can be corrected by continuing to stay informed, continuing to put my thoughts up here at M-BA, and continuing to learn.

You may wonder what brought on this change in such a short time? Well, I have one daughter and a second on the way. I do everything I can to make their lives better. Like any parent, sometimes I do well, sometimes I fail. Now, I can’t pinpoint the exact moment it happened, but I had the thought that I had completely failed in trying to give my daughters a state and a country that they could be proud to call home. What if they decide that open government is important and I failed to fight for it? A clean environment and renewable energy? What if I neglected to fight inequality for gays with my vote and my voice and that affects their future? Without the conviction to do my civic duty, all of my opinions about how the world is run are for naught. A completely worthless intellectual exercise. I saw that failure, and I worked to correct it, with the help some great folks.

So, here’s who I’d like to thank for helping to reform a former slacker:

My Lovely Wife - For supporting the time I’ve put into this and reading what I have to day

Dana Garrett - for making every speck of information available and his passion for bringing it to light

Mike Matthews - for showing that politics and learning about it can be fun and worthwhile

Jason of Delaware Liberal - even though I haven’t learned his last name yet, Jason taught me that partisanship can be a noble thing when the partisan can see past the party flag and work to remedy the problems in the party

Most Importantly, Tyler Patrick Nixon - Tyler inspired me to keep my new-found conviction by accepting my offer to volunteer, spending more time than I’m sure he had in discussion with me about different topics, answering my stupid questions, and being the antithesis of everything my cynicism told me politics was about. If I hadn’t met Tyler, I never would have guessed that there were candidates who want to work for and with the people, and represented everything that we need in a public servant. Volunteering for and finding a friend like Tyler has made a huge difference in how I see government can be something worth fighting for.

Of course, I also want to thank you, who read this little rag. Start commenting, and you’ll be in up there in the blockquotes next time!
One last thing, I want to mention the little thrill I felt this morning, the first time I ever heard, “Joseph Madjeski voting!” How awesome was that?

Anyone who was looking for the upcoming 1st Senate District Debate between Tyler Nixon and Greg Chambers is going to be deeply disappointed. Apparently shaken by the barrage of common sense (the bane of the weak and banal) from Tyler Nixon at this weeks TNA Candidates night, Craven Greg has opted out of his WDEL debate with Tyler.

I suppose he made the right decision. Considering his bland and bewildered performance at the Candidates Night, it’s the right decision to put his tail between his legs and tremble in the corner until the 7th, quietly weeping. Maybe his confusion is communicable, because I can’t for the life of me figure out how this feeble gutless wonder was able to gain the support of the Republican Party even before the primaries.

I wonder if good ol’ Mike Castle will lend Greg his wheelchair*. I’m certain it’s rather difficult for the Republican hopeful to walk considering his recent spine-ectomy.

*Video courtesy of Down With Absolutes!, question courtesy of Delaware Liberal

The Republican Senate Caucus recently blew the doors off of the Delaware politics doors recently with the announcement of a five-point plan to open up the government. This move, 10 days before the midterm elections, is forcing the Dems to to stand and support their bold move or be forever lambasted as Haters of Democracy.

Folks like Karen E. Peterson have been fighting for this for years, with little to no support from some of the Republican Senators supporting this new plan. So, what caused this 180-degree turn? Were the Rs visited the night before by the Ghosts of Democracy Past, and woke with love in their hearts, finally buying us Cratchits our Freedom Turkey? Wow, that was a tortured metaphor. Someone call Gitmo.

Does it even matter what caused this? I see a huge benefit to the people of Delaware in this move. People like Tyler Patrick Nixon and Jason over at Delaware Liberal have been fairly vocal that their parties need some fixing. Will this be the catalyst for that? The Republicans move seems to be the crowbar in the door to give these worthy folks who are not blinded by party loyalty the foot in to start to hold the hands of the parties and help them take those tentative first steps back to their former glory, where they did work for the people, and not self-glorification.

I am an idealist at heart, and I see nothing but good coming out of this as it will begin to put more power in the hands of the people to enact even more change.

This post is far too long in coming. Most people that know of Tyler and his campaign for the 1st Senate District. I first heard of him from Down With Absolutes! and Delaware Watch, then did a little reading through the few (at the time) articles about him and some of his posts on gazziza.net, and was inspired to send him a supportive email, which I will share:

Mr. Nixon,

I have never been a supporter of a GOP candidate until I started reading about you and your campaign. I’ve read through your website, and through posts you’ve made on gazziza.net , and I’ve never had the pleasure of hearing from a candidate with the integrity, enthusiasm, and pride in civil service as you show in every view I’ve heard from you. I am not a constituent in your district, but I will be pulling for you to win it handily. Hold fast to your principles and keep getting your word out and the people will understand the value in electing you.

More’s the pity to this state and it’s people if they don’t.

Warm Regards,
Joseph J. Madjeski

PS An early Happy Birthday to you. I will be turning 30 on the 16th!

Tyler and I have kept in touch since then, and I have volunteered for his campaign, and hope to be able to help out before the 7th. Tyler is a unique candidate in that he has a platform that almost anyone who wants to improve Delaware can agree with. His progressive views on energy, the environment, open government and more are tempered by his rock-solid conservative economics.

Tyler also has an inspiring charisma and energy that will be invaluable in the State Government. He is not a politician, but a public servant and his passion to work for us is obvious and undeniable. These merits are coupled with an ability to gather people from traditionally opposing viewpoints to support the issues that he represents. That shows an almost unprecedented level of leadership, and shows that service to Delaware is far more important to Tyler than partisanship.

I can’t vote for Tyler, as I am not in his district, but I wholeheartedly support him with any time and money that I can. Having Tyler in office will help all of Delaware.

PS: Yes, Tyler and I do share a birthday, but my praise is not due to 09/16 partisanship.