[LPVA Announce] URGENT: Please help lobby to reduce petitioning signature requirements in VA

Forwarded on behalf of Bill Redpath (wredpath2@yahoo.com):

Dear LPVA Members and Friends:

 

I am writing to ask you for urgent action to help lobby the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate for a reduction in the number of signatures needed to get on the ballot for statewide offices in Virginia .

 

Virginia State Senator Richard H. Black ( R-Great Falls ) has introduced SB 690, to lower the number of signatures for presidential candidates from 10,000 signatures to 5,000 signatures.  The bill also reduces the number of signatures needed in each U.S. House district from 400 to 200.  The bill would apply both to presidential primary candidates, and candidates of unqualified parties and independent presidential candidates petitioning for the November ballot.

 

But, there is another bill that would not benefit the LPVA.  Virginia Delegate Mark Cole (R-Fredericksburg) has introduced HB 1346, which lowers the number of signatures to 5,000 for presidential primary candidates, but not general election presidential candidates.

 

Please contact your Delegate and State Senator and ask them (1) to support SB 690 and (2) to include the other four statewide elected offices (US Senate, Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General) in SB 690. We also need as many people as possible to be in Richmond on Monday, January 21 to lobby the General Assembly in person for this legislation.

 

Don't know who your Delegate and State Senator are?  It's easy to find out.  Just go to:

 

http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/

 

then clink on the blue bar at the top of the page to go to "Who's My Legislator."  Then type in your street address, city and zip code to find out who are your Delegate and Senator.

 

Please email and call your Delegate and Senator.  The General Assembly comes into session on Wednesday, January 9, and this is a short session in 2013.  That is why it is very important to act on this immediately.

 

It is particularly important to contact your Delegate and Senator if he or she is on the House or Senate Privileges and Elections Committee.  Ballot access legislation must pass through these committees before they go the House and Senate floors for final votes.

 

The members of the P&E Committees (with district numbers) are:

 

Senate:

 

Obenshain (Chair), 26

Howell, 32

Martin, 11

Deeds, 25

Puckett, 38

Edwards, 21

McEachin, 9

Petersen, 34

Smith, 19

Northan, 6

Vogel, 27

McWaters, 8

Carrico, 40

Reeves, 17

Garrett, 22

 

 

House:

 

Cole (Chair), 88

Putney, 19

Ingram, 62

Jones, 76

Albo, 42

Cosgrove, 78

O'Bannon, 73

Bell , R.B., 58

Miller (Vice Chair), 50

Landes, 25

Hugo, 40

Cox, J.A., 55

Ramadan, 87

Ransone, 99

O'Quinn, 5

Scott, J.M., 53

Joannou, 79

Sickles, 43

Howell, A.T., 90

Dance, 63

Spruill, 77

 

The legislation is being introduced after only two Republican presidential candidates got the necessary 10,000 valid signatures to get on the Republican Primary ballot in Virginia in March 2012.  All candidates except Ron Paul and Mitt Romney failed to make the Virginia primary ballot.

 

If that number of signatures is too many for major party candidates to collect, it is certainly unfair for everyone else.

 

The number of signatures should be reduced for all statewide offices, because the requirement to remain on the ballot (10% of the vote for any statewide office, in either of the last two statewide elections) is tougher in only ONE state, Alabama , where it is 20%.

 

Virginia is among only 15 states that have only two ballot qualified parties.  Nine states have three ballot qualified parties, and 27 states (including DC) have four or more ballot qualified parties.

 

Ballot access is too difficult in Virginia , and it has cost the LPVA too much money over the years.  We need to strike while the iron is hot to reduce ballot access petitioning requirements for the good of the LPVA.

 

If you can be in Richmond for lobbying on Monday, January 21, please send an email towilliam.redpath@lp.org, and I will supply you with more details.

 

Thank you for whatever you can do to reduce petitioning requirements in Virginia through support of SB 690.

 

William Redpath

Political Development Committee Chair

Libertarian Party of Virginia

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