282RA's plans are pretty long-range and not just a bit Quixotic. Hartmann's point is that one should join the party that more nearly reflects one's own views and steer from within. That is one helluva lot more likely to be successful. But if that's the way 282RA wants to do it, then I wish him luck. Firm of jaw, steely of eye. Most admirable. But getting smacked by one of those windmill sails can really smart!

There are two ways I know of to yank the rug out from under the two-party system. Or, at least, deflate the power of the duopoly. Proportional representation or preferential voting.

In Washington State (and in a number of other states), if the state legislators won't bring up a matter that a group of citizens—or, for that matter, a single highly motivated individual—wants them to deal with, then the citizens can get up an initiative measure. You write the law you want to see enacted, you print up a bunch of petitions, and then you go out and get signatures. In this state, if you get somewhat in excess of 200,000 signatures on the initiative petitions, the state elections board has to put it on the next ballot where it can be voted on by the public at large, along with all the other initiatives, propositions, and candidates. And if a particular initiative gets a sufficient number of "Yes" votes, it becomes law, just as if it had been enacted by the state legislature. Now, getting something like 200,000 people to sign a ballot initiative may seem like an insurmountable task, but it happens here all the time. There are usually a couple three or four citizen initiatives on the ballot in ever state election.

AND—I am aware that there are a couple of groups in Washington State who are getting up an initiative for preferential or instant run-off voting.

With preferential or instant run-off voting, you can vote for third party candidates without wasting your vote on a candidate who doesn't stand a ghost of a chance. You rank your preference. For example:   1 – Green Party, 2 – Independent Party, 3 – Democratic Party. If the Greens don't get enough votes, your vote shifts to the Indepencents. And, in turn, if the Independents don't get sufficient votes, your vote shifts to the Democrats. So even though the candidate you really wanted doesn't make it, you're vote will have gone to someone who at least partially represents your values, and you will have done all you can to keep the candidate you really don't want from getting into office.

In practical politics, this will mean that the major parties will have to pay close attention to what the third parties are offering. If the Green Party, say, comes closer to offering potential Democratic voters what they want than the Democratic Party does, then the potential Democratic voters can go ahead and vote for the Greens without fear of wasting their votes. If the Dems don't pay sufficient attention and address the issues, the Greens might just win!

Do you have an citizen's initiative process in your state? If so, get crackin'!!

Don Firth

P. S. And in the meantime, get a copy of First Democracy : The Challenge of an Ancient Idea by Paul Woodruff, and learn what democracy really is and how it works.