Oppose Colorado House Bill 1142

January 25, 2003
Submitted to newapapers all over Colorado.
Purblished in the Denver Rocky Mountain News.

Editor:

Republicans are fond of dissuading people from voting for third parties because "all it does is help elect Democrats." The horror! However, when Republicans win elections they act just like Democrats.

I say this in response to a bill (HB 1142) currently moving through the Colorado House of Representatives. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Bill Crane (R - Arvada), would require minor parties to nominate candidates through the primary/caucus process, rather than through party conventions or filing with the Secretary of State's office. Requiring minor parties to hold primaries or caucuses will impose costs that they simply cannot afford.

For the last few elections, about all that minor party candidates had to do was file with the Secretary of State's office. This is all I had to do to run as a Libertarian in 2002. As a result there were dozens of Libertarians on the ballot across the state. In 1996, I had to petition my way on to the ballot. While this was more difficult, I did observe one thing: many people who said they would not vote for me signed my petition anyway, as they felt I had a right to be on the ballot.

It is the vilest hypocrisy that the government goes after Microsoft on charges of monopolizing the computer operating systems market. The Republicans and Democrats have set up a maze of rules and regulations that make it well nigh impossible in many places for anyone else to even get on the ballot. They enjoy a degree of market dominance that Bill Gates could never imagine. Republicans may talk a good game about self-reliance and competition, but in this case they are just as contemptible as Democrats.

Call your state representative now to express your outrage at House Bill 1142.

Douglas F. Newman
Aurora


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Doug Newman


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