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View Full Version : "The Campaign You Don’t See: Battle for Ballot Access"




Jeremy
01-21-2008, 08:42 AM
The primaries and caucuses are only one front in the Ron Paul revolution. Another, one that’s all too easily overlooked, is equally important and even more basic: getting Dr. Paul and our delegates on the ballot in all 50 states (plus U.S. territories). So far, the campaign has had 100% success in this area – we haven’t missed a deadline, and we’re on track to make the ballot in every state. The same can’t be said for all the other candidates: Fred Thompson, for example, missed the deadline for submitting signatures to qualify for the Delaware ballot. As a result, he’s not on it. Mike Huckabee came within minutes of missing the deadline for the Illinois ballot.

Ballot access is devastatingly hard work and demands tremendous organization. Not only does the campaign have to collect large numbers of signatures, but the rules governing which signatures count, who may collect them, and when they must be submitted are often arcane. In some places there may only be a two-day window in which signatures are accepted. In others, the signatures must come from registered Republicans and can only be collected by registered Republicans. Pennsylvania is one such state, and it presents other hurdles as well: not only must the campaign get 4,000 raw signatures to qualify Dr. Paul for the ballot, we also have to get 500 raw signatures for the slate of Ron Paul delegates and alternate delegates in each of the 18 congressional district in the state.

It’s a huge feat of logistics to sort through the rules and make sure we abide by them in all fifty states and in federal territories like Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. But our campaign has been a success thanks to the heroic efforts our State Coordinators, staff, and volunteers. We’ve made the ballot in 39 states and two territories, and we’re on target in the other 11 states. (In some, we’ve completed the process and we’re just waiting for certification.)

Organizing an effort of this kind is like building a small army: it takes organization, discipline, and a lot of money. Petitioning for ballot access requires huge investments of time as well. We’ve been able to make it happen, though, through constant hard work. Most of this work is invisible: nobody writes news stories about ballot access unless something goes horribly wrong. So the fact that you probably haven’t heard about our ballot-access work before is a good thing. But it also means that the ceaseless efforts and organizational brilliance of our ballot-access teams, both here in the national office and in every state and territory, has gone largely unrecognized. Let me take a moment to offer a hearty “thank you” to everyone who has worked on ballot access—thanks!

There are so many people involved in this effort that I can’t thank them all individually, but I hope this post gives you some sense of the sweat, and sometimes tears, that has gone into getting Ron Paul on the ballot everywhere in the country. You can show your appreciation for what’s already been achieved – and help us get on the ballot in the remaining 11 states – by donating today.


http://people.ronpaul2008.com/campaign-updates

liberteebell
01-21-2008, 08:47 AM
I saw ballot access in Virginia very first hand. What a nightmare!