Rationale
MARYLAND PUBLIC ASSEMBLY
Rationale
Introduction
The Maryland Public Assembly provides for a means for ordinary citizens in Maryland to participate more actively and effectively in the politics and electoral process in the state. Its purpose is to create a platform of issues and endorse suitable candidates for public office at all levels of government throughout the state. The Assembly membership will endorse candidates to guide voters in their selection of candidates who can provide the most effective, responsive government on behalf of the broad public interest of all. The Assembly is grassroots and non-partisan in nature, and open to all Maryland citizens of voting age.
The Problem Major political parties function primarily to win elections and achieve governmental power for the candidates they nominate. They do not necessarily implement a commitment to the broad public interest or provide the electorate with real education and accurate knowledge about the problems and solutions involved in the operation of effective government. Elections are therefore won and power too often achieved by the clever manipulation of facts, false promises and avoidance of communication on the most fundamental issues of public policy. Decisions in government arise from an electoral process which may reflect more the needs of special interests, personal gain and political power, rather than any real commitment to the broad public interest, reason and conscience to solve the real problems at hand.
Growing government power and reduced individual liberty is a constant pressure and frustration for the ordinary citizen who sees more waste of government financial resources, growing dependency on government, over-taxation, over-regulation, and constant erosion of individual responsibility and freedom. Uninformed and discouraged about alternatives, the ordinary citizen tends to vote for the security of the status quo, or fails to vote at all. Efforts to lobby public officials after their election, to change their philosophy or approach to government, is largely futile without an investment in the process of their election. Given the lack of organization to inform the voters of the pertinent issues and positions of the various candidates, new elections under the current electoral system are unlikely to bring forward any significant change to the operation of government. Specifically, the current electoral process is defective in several ways:
* Primary Endorsements Favor Incumbents and Self-interested Slate-making
Although "choice" within parties is supposed to occur in the party's own "primary" elections, the large number of candidates and lack of voter awareness of the issues assures that slates of incumbents or status quo "endorsing" conventions will usually defeat any real challenge from an alternative candidate.
* Economic Issues
Incumbents have considerable leverage to assure campaign resources because of their political position to attract the support of special interests. Slate-making to replace retiring incumbents is generally conducted around the status quo forces that supported the original incumbents. Many competent and otherwise qualified persons have limited personal funds to run a political campaign entirely on their own, so slate-making with other candidates to share campaign costs is the only viable option. However, slate-making by the alternative candidates themselves tends to lack a sufficient unifying principle, and does not carry the same weight as if the endorsement were from a separate group. Also, many endorsing groups represent special interests without regard to the larger public interest which the better candidates seek to represent.
* Lack of Information and Voter Apathy
With a large field of candidates and limited information about each one personally, most voters tend to vote on the basis of incumbency, party affiliation or special endorsements or interests which they generally favor. While new candidates may effectively represent the broad public interest in their positions and policies, they usually cannot overcome the general lack of information and apathy of so many voters.
The Solution
The Maryland Public Assembly provides a most needed political voice for the broad public interest — offering the ordinary citizen and voter a forum to discuss and identify important issues and endorse candidates who can provide the most effective, responsive government for the people of Maryland. The Assembly is non-partisan and grassroots in nature, open to all citizens of voting age in the state. Assembly principles, rules and procedures assure that all endorsements are made in the most open, fair and democratic manner possible.
Endorsed candidates can choose to pool their economic resources to join together in the preparation and distribution of sample ballots and other campaign information. Assembly volunteers can aid in this effort at the polls and otherwise in the campaign. The Assembly will maintain a continuous year round function to follow the progress and results of endorsed candidates who are elected to public office — and to study, revise and update the platform of issues as needed. The Assembly will also serve an important educational means for voters to learn more about the candidates and issues at all levels of government.
The Assembly is funded through voluntary contributions which include a modest dues for membership. It will have elected officers who will serve on a voluntary, non-paid basis. The Assembly will provide all necessary operating rules, endorsement procedures, and agreement forms to assure an effective operation in all its activities.
The Maryland Public Assembly will provide the state-wide structure for platform development and candidate endorsements that will significantly address and work to solve the defects in the current electoral system:
* Primary Endorsements Favor Incumbents and Self-interested Slate-making
The Assembly can consider endorsements in the "primary" election of any political party, and so it can offer an effective alternative endorsement for those candidates who are less favored by the incumbents and party regulars. If defeated, the Assembly could then meet again to endorse another candidate in another party or an independent for the same position in the general election.
* Economic Issues
The Assembly's endorsement of a "slate" of candidates can strengthen the voice of individual candidates working on their own — to provide a basis for their joint appeal to the voters on behalf of the broad public interest. Economic resources of the individual candidates could be combined to increase their impact and reach with suitable campaign literature and sample ballots. Assembly volunteers could distribute these sample ballots at the polls, and provide other types of support in the electoral campaigns.
* Lack of Information and Voter Apathy
The Assembly's literature will detail its principles and issues to the voters — providing a basis for intelligent consideration of the various alternatives. Independent or third-party participants could be fully brought into the electoral process on a more equal footing with the incumbent candidates and those nominated by the major political parties — with commitment to principles and an informed review of positions and policies being the primary basis for endorsement.
Summary
The Maryland Public Assembly moves forward by the active participation and commitment of all interested persons. Send comments, membership application, volunteer support, and offer other support to: Maryland Public Assembly, 912 Thayer Ave. #205 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Tel. (301) 589-0733
email to: havis@erols.com