INDIVISIBLE Lambertville NJ / New Hope PA

Category: Electoral Issues

  • New Jersey Dark Money Veto Murky

    Contributed by Amara Willey.

    Citing loopholes and possible Constitutional challenges, Gov. Phil Murphy conditionally vetoed a campaign finance reform bill in May. Critics suggest that Murphy’s motivation is more political than altruistic.

    A conditional veto means that the governor objects to parts of a bill and proposes amendments that would make it acceptable.  It is now up to the legislature to decide if it will follow the governor’s recommendations and rewrite the bill or try to override the veto with a two-thirds vote. The danger is that the legislature may just let the bill, NJ-S1500, languish, thus killing the chance for substantial election reform. (more…)

  • The 28th Amendment: An American Promise

    Contributed by Deb Kline.

    Heather Santos from American Promise will lead the June 4 Springboard event on Dark MoneyJune 4 Springboard event on Dark Money. The organization is dedicated to achieving passage of the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, which affirms that We The People – not special interests, corporations or unions – govern the United States of America. The proposed bill has more than 100 sponsors. The 28th Amendment has been proposed to the House of Representatives (HJ Res. 2) and reads as follows: (more…)

  • Are You The One?

    Contributed by Amara Willey.

    What do we make of 5 million Democratic candidates running for president? How does one stand out?

    It’s not a new thing that many people put themselves forward to be the Democratic candidate for President. In the 2016 election, four candidates dropped out before the primaries began, leaving eight candidates to run for the Democratic nomination. In 2008, two candidates withdrew before the primaries, leaving eight candidates still running, including President Barack Obama.  

    With 21 confirmed Democratic candidates for the 2020 race, we can expect some will drop out before the primary, but there are still more than we may know what to do with. How do we start to narrow the field?

    Understandably people are concerned that we need one strong candidate that can defeat the Republican incumbent in 2020. So far, none of the candidates has yet pulled into a resounding lead, but it’s still early.

    Voters care about the issues in 2020, but they also care about electability. At the moment most candidates are running on similar platforms — universal healthcare, climate change regulations, reducing inequality, and improving conditions for the middle class.

    For the last four presidential elections, the economy has been the biggest issue for voters, according to Pew Research Center, In 2016, 84% of voters said the economy was a “very important” factor in deciding how to cast their presidential vote. In 2012 and 2008, it was 87%, while it was the top issue of concern for 78% of voters in 2004. At the moment, the economy is doing pretty well under the current administration.

    The good news is that 96% of 1,007 registered voters polled said it is very or somewhat important that a presidential candidate take “aggressive action to slow the effects of climate change,” according to a survey conducted by research firm SSRS for CNN and released this month. This outstripped Medicare for All, stricter gun laws, and free public college tuition as priority concerns. As we know, the current administration has climate change so far off its radar that it was removed from the White House website just after the inauguration.

    However, issues are not the deciding factor in a presidential election. Concerns about electability, especially with so many Democratic hopefuls, are paramount for many voters. Paul Blumenthal cautions in the Huffington Post, “As Democrats eye their 2020 White House candidates, it’s best to recall that the “electability” path is littered with the bodies of losers.” He recalls other elections, particularly the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries, where we had two likeable candidates, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, neither of whom ultimately became president. And although Hillary Clinton made electability part of her platform in 2016, ultimately she wasn’t, and the dark horse, the unelectable Donald Trump, was.

    In February, opinion writer Jennifer Rubin warned in The Washington Post that “we should be wary about expecting voters to distinguish between candidates they like and ones that are “electable.” Very often, voters become convinced that the persons they like will be liked by others.”

    An encouraging poll conducted in February by Monmouth University indicates that 57% of voters polled say it’s time for a new president. The poll further found that a majority of 56% of Democrats and left-leaning independents prefer someone who would be a strong candidate against Trump even if they disagree with that candidate on most issues.  Just 33% say they would prefer a nominee who they are aligned with on the issues even if that person would have a hard time beating Trump. Democratic women (61%) are more likely than men (45%) to say they would put their policy positions aside in order to get a nominee who could beat Trump, the Monmouth University Polling Institute reported.

    Sources:

    https://thinkprogress.org/climate-change-democrat-voters-2020-election-5cdf0424044e/

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/2020-democrats-electability_n_5ccb4a10e4b0d123955076ad

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/02/05/heres-thing-about-electability/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.ccaa386fb56c

    https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/MonmouthPoll_US_020419/

  • Reminder! Pennsylvania Primary is May 21st – VOTE!

    Coming up May 21st, the Pennsylvania primary poses challenges for progressives. With three Bucks County Court of Common Pleas judgeships open among a heavily Republican bench in Bucks County, the stakes are high.  In Pennsylvania, these judgeships, which pay over $100,000 per annum, are elected and serve for ten years. The Common Pleas, aka Civil Court, attends to family and criminal matters, and thus has a major impact on the welfare of our communities. Many of those on the present bench, however have a strong background in business law, but lack experience in Family Court.  

    The Civil Court also can serve as a stepping stone or entry level for judges seeking to move up in the system, which makes it all the more important to create opportunities for those whose values you support.  In addition, we’re seeing higher court decisions play a greater and greater role in either mitigating or furthering the more extreme tendencies of some politicians.

    Right now, Democrats are choosing among six party candidates, including Charissa Liller, Jordan Yaeger, and Jessica VanderKam – who have been endorsed by the local Democratic party – and Dianne McGee, Dawn DiDonato-Burke, and Chris Serpico.

    Compounding the dilemma, the total ten candidates in the race are completely scrambled on both the Democratic and Republican ballots. Indeed, all the candidates have cross-filed on each other’s slates, making this tantamount to a “jungle primary” that could easily confuse voters. With typically only a modest voter turnout and little time to go, there is a vital need to quickly educate the electorate, so the folks who do vote can make informed decisions.

    The chart shows the candidates running for judge for the Bucks Court of Common Pleas. Make sure you vote!

     

     

  • Pennsylvania Voters! Our Upcoming May 21st Elections

    I was dressed up to go to court with my mommy. I usually waited outside on a hard wooden bench. Today was different.  Mommy took me into a big room with a big desk, where a man in a black asked me who I liked better, my mommy or my daddy?.  Without hesitation, I said, “My daddy.” The man asked me why. “Because he buys me dolls and gives me candy.”

    Custody cases are presided over by the 13 judges on the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, 11 of whom are Republicans and 11, men, some with little to no background in family law, making decisions that can have significant, life-long ramifications.  

    With a three-month backlog in family court, we as citizens must show up and vote for judges with the knowledge, experience, and compassion to make wise choices for our families and, most especially, our children in need of legal care and protection. Here’s what you need to know to make your own informed decisions on these vital issues:

    What’s at Stake for the Court of Common Pleas?

      1. Two new seats on the Judiciary, plus one resignation.  In hopes of addressing our overburdened court system, in 2017, the legislature created two new openings in Bucks County plus a slot made available by one Republican woman’s resignation.
      2. Significant backlog of family and criminal cases. The Bucks County Court of Common Pleas hears Civil Cases.  As examples: based on the latest comprehensive data from 2017, of the 1,896 cases involving child custody/partial custody/visitation, only 727 or 42.1% were handled by a judge; of the 416 cases of child abuse or neglect, a total of 262 were adjudicated, with 57 still pending at year end.
      3. Judges serve for ten years. These lengthy terms give the Court stability and allow judges to fully develop.  But, it also represents a significant commitment to a set of values that may or may not reflect our communities.  It’s vital that we show up and vote for those judges who best uphold the values we embrace.

    Who’s Running? From the Bucks County Unofficial Candidate List, several of the candidates for open seats are listed here with links to their pages.

    • Court of Common Pleas – For the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, several candidates are running, three of whom have received Democratic Party endorsements:

    Democrat                    Republican

    Charissa Liller                     Allen Toadvine

    Jessica VanderKam                Grace Deon

    Jordan Yeager                     Chris Serpico

    Dawn Dinato-Burke           

    Diane McGee                    Gary Gambardella

    Who else? In addition to the open seats on the Court of Common Pleas, the following races include:    

    • Bucks County Commissioner – four year terms

    Democrat            Republican

    Diane Ellis-Marseglia     Gene DiGirolamo

    Bob Harvie             Robert Loughery

    • Bucks County Treasurer – four year term

        Democrat            Republican

        Kris Ballerini            Tom Panzer

    • Bucks County Coroner – four year term

    Democrat            Republican

    Meredith Buck            Joseph P. Campbell

    2019 Key Election Dates for Pennsylvania

    • April 22  — Last day to REGISTER before the primary
    • May 14  — Last day to apply for a civilian absentee ballot.
    • May 17  — Last day for County Board of Elections to receive civilian absentee ballots
    • May 21  — MUNICIPAL PRIMARY
    • Nov. 5    — MUNICIPAL  ELECTION

    For more information, additional resources, and ways to get involved:*

    • Bucks County Blue:  Great source for info on all races and candidates in Bucks, including upcoming events and voter registration.
    • Solebury Democrats: Lively, up-to-date site, with excellent content.
    • Indivisible:  Provides a wealth of information and ready-made materials, ranging from Elections 101, Voting Rights, and Voting Suppression, Voter Registration, Endorsement Guides, and more.
    • SwingLeft: Nationwide organization dedicated to flipping Congressional districts like ours.
    • Flippable: Mounting a Blue Wave Tsunami across the states.

    Special thanks to Charissa Liller and her team for their time.