By Alan Reynolds
Why is being outside the two-party system an advantage? It makes people think.
Lieutenant Governor, a race for an office that is largely ignored and most people don’t care about, has the potential to make an impact on Tuesday. If we vote.
For over 30 years only one party (the Democratic Party, appointments aside) has won election to the office of Lieutenant Governor. The greater number of registered members of that party along with an independent/center which tends left has created a position which we vote for with zombie-like regularity. Move over and check the box next to “D” or “R.” In a state where most voters are suspicious of one party to the point where they vote “against them” as much as “for” the other party, there is a path to an alternate option.
But with California’s new top-two primary system, if a mainstream, centrist-oriented, independent made the November ballot, it would be “D” vs “I.” No longer could people vote blindly along partisan lines. Voters would have to think, not just react.
The problem? Getting an Independent into the top two. As we uncap our pens to faithfully mark a ballot next to the requisite “D” or “R,” leaving the Republican candidate to be run over by an electorate which will likely not look past the party descriptor next to his name, the election in November has already been decided before we cast our ballots.
This is where Americans Elect comes into play. Americans Elect’s attempt to create a viable third-party candidate in the 2012 presidential election had a serious case of identity crisis/confusion, at least as far as seen from an external viewpoint. I have not spoken with Peter Ackerman, Kalil Byrd or any other “powers that be” within the party to see what their goals, behind closed doors, were. Whatever it was created for, be it to put a centrist candidate on the ballot or to give a Romney-esque Republican another chance, in the eyes of the real world they were effectively a failure, not accomplishing their primary goal of running a candidate for President.
What they did do was leave behind something that for all practical purposes is a tool to be used. Our political system currently requires the use of parties to get people focused on political goals. Americans Elect can be that mechanism, not because of the people who created it, but because of the opportunity it represents.
Putting aside the remainder of the country for the moment, 1.3 million signatures were collected in California. Those 1.3 million people said they wanted to see something different, something not controlled by the current duopoly. The “party” that was Americans Elect remains ballot-eligible for the moment, and as a tool it is not a simple hammer lying around, but rather a jackhammer. Those 1.3 million people are 80-90% of the way to achieve top-two in our primaries. Those 1.3 million people are not just a cry for help, but a roar waiting for a response.
In all their wisdom, the “powers that be” in Americans Elect did not run a candidate in a statewide race (required to maintain ballot qualification). Those 1.3 million Californians roared, “I want something other than the status-quo!” And they heard back … nothing. Of my own volition, with no influence or suggestion from anyone, I have decided to respond to these people. I am running for Lieutenant Governor of California, registered as Americans Elect. I am a member of the Modern Whig Party and a follower of the Reform Party and the Centrist Project.
Why can I do things others can’t? I owe no favors and will not take any donations from the special interests that currently manage the “party chosen” options that are presented to us. I have no Wall Street backers and no investment from the universities. I am free to investigate options that others have been told not to pursue because of where they get their money and marching orders.
Lieutenant Governor is important precisely because no one cares much, because it will not change party caucuses, because there is very minor power. It can be our place to make a statement “risk-free.” There is no wasted vote. Just a chance to work towards something different. For all of us.
Alan Reynolds is an independent candidate for Lieutenant Governor running under the Americans Elect Party banner. He is an engineer and small businessman who lives in South Pasadena, where he serves on the city’s freeway and transportation commission.
