Letter to the Youngstown Vindicator-January 20, 2008

Ohio needs uniform rules covering candidate petitions

EDITOR:

When I went to pick up my petitions for the 60th District state representative race to run as an independent candidate, I received the following information regarding signatures from the Mahoning County Board of Elections:

State Representative:  60th District   Democratic and Republican candidates need 50 valid signatures, I need 321 valid signatures.

17th Congressional District: Democrat and Republican candidates need 50 signatures. Independent candidates need 2,200.

Mahoning County commissioner: Democrat and Republican candidates need 50 signatures, Independent candidates need 953. The same goes for county coroner, treasurer, sheriff, engineer, and recorder.

The two major parties can just go to a party meeting and gather signatures from the their county chairman and neighborhood committee leaders. Independent candidates must walk neighborhoods, stand outside shopping centers, libraries and other public places to gather enough signatures to run.

Is this fair? Is this a democracy?

President Bush has spent six years trying to bring democracy to Iraq, which has cost more than 3,900 American lives.

How can we bring democracy to Iraq when we do not have democracy in Ohio? It is time all candidates have the same registration requirements to run for office in Ohio.

Now you know why we have no political races in November. Now you know why there is no forward movement in our economy and Valley because our choices are hand-picked by our party bosses. No party candidate would dare challenge a party incumbent.

DENNIS S. SPISAK

Struthers

X Spisak is an independent Green Party candidate for 60th Distict state representative.