CT Ballot Access Bill Introduced

The following is an email from the Green Party of Connecticut dealing with a ballot access bill that they were instrumental in getting introduced. If you can attend the hearing please do.

Greens,

Good News:

Today the GAE (Government And Elections) committee released HR 6436 in written form. I gave the bill to Atty. and CT Green Party co-chair Steve Fornier to look at earlier today. He says that the bill would reduce our state-wide office and congressional petitioning requirements to 1000 valid signatures (VS 7500 SIGNATURES OR 1% OF THE VOTES IN LAST ELECTION UNDER THE PRESENT LAW).

In the past we have been required to collect 7500 valid signatures to get on the ballot for president or for other state-wide office and we have had to collect over 3000 valid signatures for congress. The bill also requires the Sec. of the State to do all the checking of the signatures and takes the responsibility away from the town clerks.

The following link will direct you to a PDF of HB 6436: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2009/TOB/h/pdf/2009HB-06436-R00-HB.pdf.

Read it and let me know what you think!

There is going to be a public hearing on this bill VERY SOON. Here is the info from the GAE website:

Wednesday, February 18, 2009		Download to Calendar
9:30 AM	Government Administration and Elections Committee Meeting followed by a Public Hearing	LOB Room 2B

YOU NEED TO GET THERE AT 8AM TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK. THE PUBLIC HEARING SPEAKERS LIST IS AVAILABLE AT 8:30AM. IF YOU GET THERE EARLY

YOU CAN GET OUT VERY EARLY AND MOST OF THE REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE THERE TO HEAR YOUR TESTIMONY. THE WHOLE EVENT IS ON THE CT NETWORK,

ANOTHER WAY TO GET OUR MESSAGE OUT. THIS BILL CAME FROM THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE GAE COMMITTEE AFTER SEVERAL OF US MET WITH THEM

RECENTLY.

MAKE A SPECIAL EFFORT TO ATTEND THIS HEARING. IF THIS BILL PASSES IT WILL ABLE TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE TO THE GREEN

PARTY AND WILL REDUCE ONE OF MOST UNFAIR AND DISCRIMINATORY MINOR PARTY REQUIREMENTS FOR BALLOT ACCESS. CALL YOUR REP, AND

ASK THAT SHE OR HE SUPPORT THIS LEGISLATION.

Sincerely,

Mike DeRosa