Letter to Executive Director of the South Carolina Democratic Party, Mr. Joe Werner
Letter
What's Wrong with South Carolina's Presidential Primaries?
There are two areas of concern coming out of the South Carolina presidential primaries which make me think some force out there, call it the 2008 presidential script writers, is deliberately using South Carolina for a bigger agenda. Ballot access in South Carolina defies all American rules of fair elections. The candidates are given the nod for ballot access by political party Executive Councils. Impartiality is lost when the political parties decide which candidates are allowed on the South Carolina Presidential Preference primary ballot. Logic dictates the GOP and DNC are involved in which candidates are allowed on the ballot.
The political issues developing in South Carolina are potentially more troubling than hand picked by the GOP and DNC candidates. It is almost as if South Carolina is a Gone with the Wind "Scarlet" fantasy coming out of a Karl Rove political play book with all kinds of southern demons and dragons, making for good New York Time type humor. Karl Rove is notorious for hiding important issues like should the United States be in Iraq, nuking Iran, martial law, identifying residential addresses and spying on Americans, military tribunals trying Americans, secrete CIA prisons on American soil, John Negroponte directed Blackwater Death Squads embedded in Swat Teams, US Constitutional rights eliminated by Executive Orders, rigged voting machines, behind the emotional hot button beaten to death issues of abortion, immigration, racism, same sex unions, and gays and lesbian issues. It is as if South Carolina has sold its soul to the Devil for the right to play presidential politics with New Hampshire and Iowa, and it can expect to be depicted as a narrow minded bigoted right wing state by the USA Today and nightly news humorists.
The following is a letter written to Joe Werner, Executive Director of the South Carolina Democratic Party in my attempt to get on their presidential preference ballot. Hopefully it is not confusing and sheds light on the ballot access process in South Carolina, which I find flawed.
Randolph W. Crow
P.O. Box 7835
Wilmington, North Carolina 28406
October 7, 2007
Mr. Joe Werner- Executive Director
South Carolina Democratic Party
1529 Hampton St. Suite 200
Columbia, SC 29201
Re: My name placed on South Carolina Democratic Primary ballot
Dear Mr. Werner,
I would like my name given to the South Carolina Democratic Executive Council for them to vote my name on the South Carolina Democratic Presidential Preference ballot. If there is a filing fee please advise me of the amount as the amount may determine if I actually file to run in the South Carolina Democratic primary. Would you please notify me of the SC State Democratic Executive Council's decision as to my request to be placed of the SC Democratic Preference Primary ballot.
I am a US born citizen, a registrar ed voter, sixty one years old, and I want my name put before the Democratic voters of South Carolina in 2008 for them to decide if they would like me to be their next US President. In 2000 my name was placed on the Democratic Presidential Primary ballots in Louisiana and New Hampshire, and 2004 on the New Hampshire and Texas ballots, by paying filing fees.
Never before have I heard of a state having an Executive Council which is not named by elected representatives decide who is and who is not allowed ballot access. Some South Carolinians may consider me insulting but in my opinion I am doing South Carolina a favor when I say an entity, like the GOP and the DNC, is insulting the intelligence of South Carolina and scamming all Americans when it says South Carolina must allow un elected Executive Councils make a most important decision, which candidates are allowed ballot access. The American way found in USA civics 101 dictates the people elect and the elected create an impartial process for candidates to get their name on the ballot. Elected specifically name the members of councils so that specific people can and are held accountable for their decisions and public records are kept of what goes on at meetings.
In the name of simplicity and fairness most states use a filing fee and anyone eligible to run has the right to pay a filing fee and given a receipt acknowledging he/she is a candidate. New Hampshire has around 33 candidates file for their presidential primary election. However Louisiana presidential primary had only 3 or 4 candidates and the Texas presidential primary had maybe 8 or 9, and all but 2 or 3 had dropped out by vote time. Leaving the candidates to chance and a reasonable filing fee gives the people the decision of who represents them and hurts no one, except those who rig elections.
However let's take a hypothetical situation, though cumbersome, which makes some sense, as an umbrella for me to address the State of South Carolinas ballot access requirements, because in any manner South Carolina addresses ballot access, I feel I am qualified. Let's say the South Carolina legislature names the members of an Executive Council which keeps public records of their meetings to decide which Republican and Democratic candidates who want to be on presidential preference primary ballots are allowed on the respective party primary ballots. This council directs me to argue why I think I am a viable candidate generally recognized and actively campaigning in South Carolina. First I would mention Webster's slant on the word "viable." (Viable 2 workable and likely to survive or to have real meaning, pertinence, etc. !a viable economy, viable.) Then I would argue that since 1997 I have entered 13 political races, US President(4), US Senate(1), US House(2), Mayor(1), City Council(3), County Commission(2) spending at least $75,000.00 in my own money and my results are improving. I am the only Democratic presidential candidate who pays filing fees who entered in 2000 who is still running for president in 2008, including first string candidates. In 2000 in the Louisiana Democratic Primary I came in 4th, the Texas Democratic Primary in 2004 I came in 9th, and in the New Hampshire primaries I came in around 16th. If I receive a 1000 votes in the SC primary my total could affect the results in a tight race. Yahoo Search has approximately 85 listings for me as a presidential candidate, Votesmart has carried information on me since 1998 or so, and I have filed financial statements with the Federal Election Commission every three months since 1998, and all my reports are current and there has never been a complaint filed against me. Many major newspapers have mentioned my name. Two Japanese reporters traveling in the states interviewed me. Our web site Randy Crow, Democrat for President has been live since 1998 and during 2007 the monthly hits have ranged from a low of 49,800 hits per month to a high of 135,000 hits per month. A web site traffic expert told me six months ago that our presidential web site had the second most highest hits among all the presidential candidate web sites. The web site has around 400 articles published by me on most current events, clearly stating my positions, hundreds more than any of the other presidential candidates. This letter will be posted there as well, with more commentary on the matter of ballot access and primary elections.
Additionally, I would say I campaigned for President in South Carolina in 2004 and went by the SC state Democratic Party headquarters and asked how to get on the ballot and was given no information. At the end of August 2007 I was given a PDF file with the rules of ballot access which was the first I had heard of the campaigning rule. Then I would say I contacted the Governor's Office requesting aid on ballot access and did not hear back, and after reaching the end of this avenue I now plan to start campaigning in South Carolina and have at least two campaign trips through South Carolina scheduled before the Executive Council decides which Democratic candidates are allowed on the ballot November 1, 2007.
Yours truly,
Randy Crow, Democrat for President
Enclosures - Copy of e-mail correspondence, FEC acknowledgments, Candidate info
SC Delegate Selection Law
Source