Letter

Printed in The Aegis, February 20, 2008

Dear Editors,

Now that the primary election is over I can stop complaining about not being allowed to vote for non-partisan offices and focus on the general election. In November I will be "wasting" my vote on a non-Republicrat, but at least all voters -independents and third-party members included - will now be allowed to do what The Aegis described as our duty as citizens, and we could have up to four parties to choose a President from in November.

I would like to ask the members of the Harford County delegation to the General Assembly to work on a way for registered independents and minor party members to be able to vote for judges, whose offices are supposedly "non-partisan". These elections could easily be held during the general election, when everyone is allowed to vote. Surely our new-fangled electronic voting machines can allow someone like me to vote only for non-partisan positions. We have the technology - we can make our democracy better, stronger, and faster.

Many people came out to vote last week because they sensed an opportunity for change, or to vote for a type of candidate they've never been able to cast a vote for before. I'd like to ask voters to think about what change really means, and tothink about voting for one of the third-party options you will see on November's ballots.

The Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln - the one that ended slavery - was a third party that stood in opposition to two dominant parties that either supported or merely did nothing to stop slavery. Third parties play the same role today by standing in opposition to the wars, poverty, and corporate control that other parties either promote or merely accept.

Brian Bittner
Coordinator, Harford County Green Party