Libertarian and Green Parties slam GOP

Judicial Choice

Stabile not deserving for Superior Court Judge

Wilkes-Barre, PA—Pennsylvania Libertarian Party chair Lou Jasikoff declared the GOP’s choice for Superior Court Judge as nothing short of shameful.  Mr. Stabile led the charge to get Libertarians knocked off the ballot in 2008 and was recently quoted as being pleased by efforts to keep the Green and Libertarian Parties from appearing on the statewide 2010 ballot.  “Mr. Stabile cloaks himself in the American flag while trampling on the very cornerstone of our democracy and should not be rewarded under any circumstance with a judgeship on Pennsylvania’s Superior Court,” insisted Jasikoff.

Green Party representative Carl Romanelli stated, “The last defense of democracy and the Constitution is the judiciary.  When it is corrupted or co-opted, it represents the most significant threat to the principles that once made America the grand protector of liberty.  The shame and disgrace of Stabile should not only be rejected by victims of his partisan decisions, but also by his peers.  The lack of meaningful review reflects as poorly on justice in Pennsylvania as does Stabile’s blatant obstruction of our rights.  It is sad to think that the cradle of democracy, Pennsylvania, has now become its graveyard.”

Romanelli, the US Senate candidate in 2006 for the Pennsylvania Green Party, has long contended that his own removal from the ballot could not have been accomplished without the aid of partisan judges.  Romanelli, a retired employee of the Luzerne County Courts, added, “Stabile’s comments, and record in ballot access cases, prove that both old parties are equally corrupted at the judicial level.  The prevailing attitude is that anything goes in keeping other voices out of political debate and participation.  Judges remain in violation of the Judicial Canons with such partisan behavior.”

Ken Krawchuk, the Libertarian candidate for Pennsylvania Governor in 1998 and 2002, was shocked to hear Victor Stabile was running for Superior Court Judge.  “This is the same man who led the failed challenge to have the 2008 Libertarian presidential candidate removed from the statewide ballot.  When someone is so ignorant of the law as to mount a frivolous challenge, or so inconsiderate of the voters of Pennsylvania to attempt to limit their choices on the ballot, it’s clear he lacks the knowledge, character and integrity to serve as a judge at any level.”  Krawchuk, who is the Libertarian representative to the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition (www.PaBallotAccess.org), added, “If Mr. Stabile had any sense of justice at all, he’d be working with us to reform Pennsylvania’s atrocious ballot access laws, which are among the worst in the nation, not exploiting them for political gain.”

“Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation where judges elected in partisan elections determine which candidates may appear on the ballot,” said Oliver Hall of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Competitive Democracy. “Now that Pennsylvania courts have begun to assess costs against candidates just for defending nomination petitions that they are required by law to submit, it is more important than ever that judges demonstrate a commitment to protecting candidate and voter rights to participate in free and equal elections – rather than the partisan interests of the judges’ campaign contributors.”

Wayne Allyn Root Vice-Presidential candidate on the 2008 Libertarian ticket concluded, “Ballot access is a fundamental right we enjoy as Americans.  We can no longer allow or tolerate political operatives like Mr. Stabile to subvert that right; simply put it is Un-American.   To purposely disregard laws on the books that allow for candidate substitution, or applaud efforts that totally ignore voter intent is unconscionable.  Mr. Stabile is the face of everything wrong with Pennsylvania’s ballot access laws and his flawed and biased judgment should not find its way on Pennsylvania’s Superior Court.”

The Libertarian Party along with the Green Party and groups like the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition, Free and Equal Organization and other liberty groups in Pennsylvania intend to make ballot access a major focus of conversation this election cycle.  Only when all Americans can freely compete in the arena of ideas will we be able break the back of corruption that has so permeated our political system.

www.lppa.org,

www.gpofpa.org

Contact: Lou Jasikoff at ljasikoff@gmail.com or 570-677-2607

Carl Romanelli at cjromanellii@yahoo.com

Here is a copy/paste from Ken Krawchuk of the PA Ballot Access Coalition:

The Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition (PBAC) is pleased to report that

their Voters’ Choice Act has been introduced in the Pennsylvania Senate as

Senate Bill 21.

The prime sponsor of the Act, originally authored by the PBAC in 2005, is

state Senator Mike Folmer (R-48) of Lebanon. According to Folmer, “Both the

federal and state Constitutions begin with the same three words: ‘We The

People.’  In order to give the people a stronger voice in their state

government, we need to eliminate barriers for candidates seeking office.  No

state makes it more difficult for third party and independent candidates to

run for office than Pennsylvania.  My ‘Voters’ Choice Act’ significantly

eases these restrictions.”

The Act offers greater freedom of choice to Pennsylvania voters by making it

much less difficult for independent and third party candidates to get their

names on the November ballot.  Under current law, Democratic and Republican

candidates are required to collect between 1,000 and 2,000 signatures to get

their names on the statewide ballot, while all others must collect as many

as 67,000 signatures in recent years.  But under the Voters’ Choice Act,

independents and candidates of political bodies would need to collect the

same number of signatures as the candidates of the two old parties, and once

a third party registers 0.05% of the electorate as members of that party

(approximately 4,200 voters), their candidates may be nominated according to

the party’s rules, and at the party’s expense, without having to collect

signatures.

Ken Krawchuk, a Libertarian member of the PBAC and two-time candidate for

Pennsylvania governor, applauded Sen. Folmer’s initiative.  “Why should one

candidate be forced to collect thirty-three times as many signatures as

another?” Krawchuk asked.  “The only thing the existing law does is stifle

competition at the ballot box and prevent new ideas from being introduced

into the political debate.  In a land that’s known for freedom, how can such

a thing be fair?”

According to Carl Romanelli, a Green Party member of the PBAC, “Passage of

the VCA will demonstrate that legislators are serious about reform and

leveling the playing field.  It is heartening to see support for this

legislation among Greens, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, Reformers and

independents.  We are respectfully requesting all PA Senators of goodwill to

lead this effort for Pennsylvania.”

The PBAC encourages all citizens to contact their state senators and request

that they co-sponsor the Voters’ Choice Act, Senate Bill 21.

The Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition is a group of individuals and

organizations committed to building better government in Pennsylvania.

Formed shortly after the 2004 election cycle, the Coalition includes leading

members of the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, the Constitution Party,

the America First Party, the Reform Party, the Prohibition Party, the

Socialist Party, the Unified Independent Party, the New American Independent

Party, the Social Democrats USA, and the Ralph Nader campaign, among others.

The purpose of the Coalition is to reform the restrictive Pennsylvania

ballot access laws and bring them in line with the constitutional mandate

that “Elections shall be free and equal.”  More information about the

Coalition and the Voters’ Choice Act can be found at PaBallotAccess.org.

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