Big Issues of the day

The Primary

So many people are annoyed with the primary, we want to help anyone willing to fight for a more reasonable approach to unite for change. People are furious that we taxpayers are paying for the two richest parties in the state (Republicans and Democrats) to hold a primary at our expense, while excluding all independent and third party candidates. We are working for the primary to be held by each party at their own expense, and any party candidate who is not chosen by their party would be able to run as an Independent. The final election would be by Instant Runoff Voting.

Ballot Access

The last state election featured no less than 36 unopposed candidates! This is totally unfair to those who would like to vote for someone they agree with. Secretary of State Sam Reed says we have too many candidates and supports the ridiculous ballot access restrictions for 3rd parties.

We need to make it much easier for 3rd party candidates to get on the ballot to provide a choice for voters. Please copy and send this postcard to Sam Reed to ask for better ballot access laws.

Secretary of State Sam Reed

Legislative Bldg/PO Box 40220

 Olympia, WA 98504-0220

Dear Secretary of State Reed:
I am tired of voting when all of the candidates in my district run unopposed. I deserve a choice. As long as the archaic ballot access laws remain on the books, my vote is limited. Please allow third party candidates to get on the ballot without petitioning in every district where they run. Please institute a petition they can have 1,000 voters sign for their party to qualify for the ballot, and no nominating convention. Give them three months to get their signatures. Please support Instant Runoff Voting.

I should be able to vote for more than one candidate for an office.

_________________________________

(signed)

(Address on other side)

Paid for by the Progressive Party of Washington P.O.Box 1034, Puyallup, WA 98371

Campaign Finance Reform

The third major issue is passing a clean money campaigns act, as they have in Maine and Arizona. This is quite long, so be prepared. A short summary will help you understand in less time: qualified candidates may run for office using public financing. That gives all candidates a fighting chance to win. It also gives citizens a chance to vote for candidates who don't owe their campaign funds to big private interests. qualified candidates may run for office using public financing. That gives all candidates a fighting chance to win. It also gives citizens a chance to vote for candidates who don't owe their campaign funds to big private interests.

How does it work? "Clean" candidates who qualify in Arizona and Maine receive enough public financing to run viable campaigns. If privately funded candidates outspend them, they receive extra public funding to match, up to a limit. They qualify by gathering a set number of individual $5 contributions and agreeing not to accept any private money. It's a resounding success for both candidates and voters!

In 2002, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano became the first publicly financed governor ever elected. "Clean" candidates won nine out of eleven statewide offices. The Arizona House now has 45% of its representatives elected after running campaigns solely with public funding. (22% Republican and 23% Democrat make up that total.) None of them received a dime from big private interests to run their campaigns.

Voters also had more choices at the polls. More than 60 percent more candidates ran for statewide office than in 1998, the last non-presidential election year without Clean Money. The number of minority candidates tripled. In response, voter turnout increased more than 10 percent. The Arizona public supports Clean Money more than ever, with overwhelming 66 percent support in a June 2002 poll. Leah Landrum, a member of Arizona's House of Representatives, sums it up: "Now the only interests I'm tied to are my constituents. And they feel a lot more connected to me. My constituent calls have tripled."

How do we pay for it? It has been suggested that large fines by the PDC for "verifiable untruths" and "misleading editing" in ads reaching over 1,000 people by any candidate or group in a campaign be used to pay for clean money campaigns. Any candidate who continues to violate the law for three times would be asked to withdraw from the campaign, and any group so doing would be barred from political ads for 3 years in a 2 term race and 5 years in a 4 term race.

Tax Breaks

We have our ideas about giving tax breaks to companies backwards. Instead of waiting for corporations to send thousands of jobs overseas, then giving them tax breaks to create a few jobs here, lets take all those tax breaks away, and only give them AFTER the jobs have been created, and in place for a year. And ONLY for those new jobs created in Washington.

Living Wage Act

Last but not least is a Living Wage Ammendment--part of our economic package. The Living Wage was in our 1912 Platform, and we still don't have it. The name was changed instead to Minimum wage, and instead of being the minimum needed to live on, has become the minimum industry can get away with paying.. Here is the complete proposed ammendment.

Read the entire proposed act.