Lobbyists - By in large most lobbyists today are actively seeking to influence decisions of elected officials.
By spending large sums of money and making enormous contributions, lobbyists are able to some degree to alter or effect the outcome of critical votes at every level of government.
Elected officials have to date, felt no remorse for taking these large sums of money in order to get them to violate not only the clear will of their constituents but the law as well.
Organizations unwilling to pay these revenues that have attempted to lobby state and federal officials find their representatives less accessible and their efforts less successful.
It is clear that those most willing to spend are most likely to enjoy the outcome of critical votes.
Gerrymandering - By mutual agreement, the two parties (Democrats and Republicans) every ten years, as required by our state constitution, divide the state by population, paying close attention to party registration. From this process, election districts for all public offices are geographically defined.
Each party attempts to ensure that as the district lines are drawn an overwhelming majority of one party exists. By doing so, that party can ensure that the candidate nominated by the party leadership will be successful in the general election.
Fusion - A process by which a third-party nominates a major-party candidate, but maintains its own ballot line through which people can vote. Therfore, candidates can be on more than one party line eliminating entry of other candidates.
Board of Elections - Manned by persons appointed by the political parties. Each office is manned by both a Democrat and Republican. They control access to the political process and make access to public information difficult.
Primary Election - The primary election held in September, is a separate election where registered members of each party choose who will represent their party in the general election. It is not unlike the semi finals of a basketball tournament or divisional playoffs to see who will play in the Super Bowl.
For example, in the primary election Republicans choose their candidate from among those of their own party on the ballot. The winner of the Republican primary will represent the party in the general election held in November. Should the district be gerrymandered to ensure a massive republican plurality, it is predictable that the winner of the Republican primary will win the general election. This process is repeated in every district, for every seat, by all parties.
Party leaders are well aware of the danger a primary election represents. The parties endorsed candidate, or possibly an incumbent, may well be replaced by the voters in the primary election. Should primary elections occur regularly, party leaders would be unable to dictate the outcome of the general election.
Party Control of Committees - The state of New York is divided into districts, each with regard to population and party registration. There are senate districts, assembly districts, congressional districts, county legislative districts, city council districts, town council districts, and so on until we reach the smallest of all districts, election districts.
Election districts are a small geographic area, generally representing the smallest number of people. During an election each district is supplied a voting booth, so that all persons in an election district vote at the same polling place and use the same voting booth.
The party's nominating process begins at this level. Each party has a county committee which is, in theory, comprised of two people of a given party from each election district in the county.
The party's town committee has two people from each town district and so on. The purpose of the committee is to seek out candidates for public office and give the party's nomination to that individual.
By properly exercising the responsibility of a committeeperson, towns, counties and ultimately the state should be represented by persons chosen from among us to represent us. Ineffective legislators can be removed and returned to private sector employment.
The sad reality is that this most vital function has fallen under the control of a handful of people, who by patronage and coercion control the nominating process of the party. For this reason, ineffective legislators and judges are returned to office over and over again.
The committees no longer function as they were intended. Of the nearly 4000 committee positions available in Erie County, in the two major parties, clearly 25% of these positions are vacant. Of those that are occupied, many have been appointed by the chairman for the express purpose of doing the chairman's bidding in exchange for patronage. Those that are appointed can be un-appointed.
Should these conditions be allowed to continue, no meaningful reform of any vital issue will take place. As long as this continues, those in public office will not be susceptible to removal by the voters.
Paper Ballots - All voting is to be by paper ballots. Electronic voting machines are not to be used
