Paper Ballots Impede The "Other" Voters in Kentucky

A coworker whose desk is two seats down from mine was questioned today about his interview with CNN’s David Mattingly. I didn’t realize how involved in the community and the State he was. He is Michael P.W. Lewis (on Twitter, Facebook), also Chairman of Independent Kentucky. Started in 2008, Independent Kentucky was organized to give a voice to independent voters.

Kentucky is one of 17 states that has closed primary elections. Unless you are registered and affiliated with a particular party, you are unable to vote in any primary election. Lewis has testified before a Senate committee on how this system disenfranchises independent voters. According to Sarah Firebaugh, “he went on to state that in many local elections, only two Democrats are running for office, and therefore the election is decided in the primary.” She published a research article on Kentucky’s Independent Movement which is also available on Independent Kentucky’s web site.

But what does the opposition have to say? According to Firebaugh’s article, James Lewis, president of the Kentucky County Clerks Association, testified against Lewis’ view and claimed that some county clerks still use paper ballots and would have difficulty managing ballots from independent voters because they would not know how many ballots need to be printed.

That the process of printing ballots would impede progress for independent voters in Kentucky is simply inexcusable.

CNN published a transcript of Mattingly’s segment featuring Michael Lewis and the vote on SB 53, a bill that would establish semi-open primary elections in Kentucky. Semi-open elections allow independent voters to vote in one party’s primary election. Senator Julian Carroll, D-Anderson, had some revealing comments about the matter. Watch a video clip of the segment as aired on CNN.

JULIAN CARROLL (D), KENTUCKY STATE SENATOR: What you’re saying is I don’t like the way America runs its political system? Well, if you don’t like it, move to another country.

MICHAEL P.W. LEWIS, INDEPENDENT KENTUCKY CHAIRMAN: That’s untrue, senator. Don’t you want to talk to me about something real instead of these false truths that you’re spreading?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The way it works right now in Kentucky, you have to register as a Republican or a Democrat before you can vote in a party primary. 17 other states have the same system. If you’re an independent voter, you’re not allowed to vote until the general election.

CARROLL: If they want a party, fine, we’ll create a party, and then they can have their own party that believes in their own principles.

MATTINGLY: Independents don’t want to have their own party.

(CROSSTALK) CARROLL: I could [sic] care less what they want. I’m telling you how we operate a democracy in America, David. We operate a democracy in America with the two-party system.

A walking contradiction, Sen. Carroll suggests creating a party for independent voters then smarts off about a two-party system. Obviously, Sen. Carroll has failed to appreciate how the rest of America operates its democracy. Nor does he appear to appreciate the power vested in his constituency.

What Sen. Carroll refuses to acknowledge is that a political party for independent voters would defeat the very principal of being an independent voter. In all likelihood, he’s hoping for just that. The Democratic party has become so popular after the abundant fallacies of the Bush Presidency that the party itself has been tricked into believing that the government is run for the People but by the Party. That is, the Democratic party, of course. Republicans tried this during the Bush years. You see where it got them.

This, I believe, is the epitome of the rationale behind independent voting. The People don’t run political parties; politicians do. And politicians have grand delusions, as Sen. Carroll has aptly expressed.

Final Thought. This isn’t about how America does democracy, Mr. Carroll; it’s about how Kentucky does government. Why do you consistently walk away from the truth? And for the record, I am engaged in this issue precisely because of where I live. You refuse to stand up for what you believe. I will refuse no such task.

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