This just in from the Oregonian:
Gov. Ted Kulongoski has decided to sign an election-related bill that gives new powers to minor parties while also repealing a law that had made it harder for independents to run for office in Oregon.
The governor has decided to sign the bill despite the opposition of officials from his own Democratic Party, who think it gives minor parties too much sway.
Congratulations to our sister party in Oregon! (If you’re from OR go make a donation and get in on the ground floor.) This is fantastic news. For those who don’t understand how and why Fusion Voting is good for democracy and for improving the lot of the middle- and working-classes, pay attention:
Third parties aren’t too common in America, and there’s a reason why. Too often, voting for a third party candidate means casting your ballot for someone you know doesn’t have much hope of winning or, even worse, helping out the candidate you like the least (think Nader’s impact in Florida, 2000). With Fusion Voting, voters have the option of supporting both a party AND a candidate, allowing third parties to play a greater role, as they both compete with each other and cooperate in support of individual candidates.
More about Fusion Voting:
- Open Ballot Voting, promoting fusion voting across the country.
- “Fusion Voting — An Old Idea That Makes Sense Again” by Josh Mason, policy director of the Progressive America Fund, advocating the restoration of fusion in Oregon.
- Blog posts by Dan Cantor, Executive Director of the Working Families Party on fusion voting at Talking Points Memo Cafe.
- Testimony of Adam Morse from the Brennan Center for Justice in favor of fusion.
- Wikipedia article on electoral fusion.
- A post by Scott Sheilds at the MyDD blog about fusion.
- An excerpt Micah Sifry’s history of third parties Spoiling for a Fight.
