Remember that interrogation scene in “The Matrix”? Neo, not knowing what he is getting into, demands his right to a phone call. “Tell me, Mr. Anderson,” Agent Smith replies, “What good is a phone call, if you’re unable to speak?”
It was in the 2016 general election that I first noticed an odd phenomenon. From the state legislature down, every partisan race on my ballot was also a no-contest race. Some of these races had been quite contentious in the primaries, but most races only had candidates from one side or the other.
In Tyrone, our state senator was decided on the Republican primary and our state senator was decided on the Democrat side. Neither party challenged the other, and no voter was able to weigh in on both races.
It’s not that no one wants to challenge. But for independent would-be candidates who want to offer a third option, Georgia’s laws are, without exaggeration, the worst in the nation.
Petition signatures have to be collected from a percentage of all registered voters, not just those who actually vote. Each signature needs to be on its own page, notarized, and half of all signatures collected are likely to be thrown out by elections boards.
The process of collecting signatures for a congressional district can cost a prospective candidate over $100,000, plus the filing fee, before they are even allowed to declare themselves as a candidate and start campaigning. As a result, in 2018, 80 percent of Georgia’s legislative body seats ran unopposed in the general election.
There is help for this situation on the horizon. A bipartisan group of state representatives is sponsoring HB191, a bill which promises to reform Georgia’s ballot access laws.
The signature requirement would be amended to a more reasonable percentage of voters in the last election, and capped at 200, making it easier for a challenger to bring new life to a low-turnout district.
Also, if a third party makes a significant showing in state-wide races, that paves the way for candidates to get on ballots in more local races.
But it’s an uphill battle. Our state legislators need to hear their constituents demanding the right to make choices. Please call, write, or email your state representative and ask them to support HB191.
Danny Dolan
Tyrone, Ga.
