Ballot Access Coalition announces speakers for voters choice act rally

For more information contact:
- Ken Krawchuk, 267-496-3332
- David Jahn, 610-461-7755

The Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition will be holding a kickoff rally to introduce their Voters Choice Act on Saturday, September 24th, at 4 PM in the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg, with a reception to be held immediately afterwards at the Harrisburg Hilton, Second and Market Streets in Harrisburg, beginning at 6:15 PM. Both events are open to the public.

Speakers at Saturday's Rotunda rally include the 1998 and 2002 Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Ken Krawchuk, Libertarian Party state chair Dave Jahn, former Green Party state chair Jennaro Pullano, Constitution Party national chairman Jim Clymer, Reform Party state treasurer Tom McLaughlin, and John Murphy of the Ralph Nader campaign, among others.

Speakers at the Hilton reception include the 2004 Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik, among others, and entertainment will be provided by Green Party activist Tom Mulligan.

The Voters Choice Act reforms Pennsylvania's draconian ballot access laws by leveling the playing field for third parties and independent candidates. Under the current law, Democrats and Republicans must collect 2,000 signatures to have their names placed on the statewide primary ballot, and none at all for the November ballot. However, to have their names placed on the November ballot in 2006, third party and independent candidates will be required to collect a minimum of 67,070 signatures, more than 33 times as many, despite a Constitutional provision that "Elections shall be free and equal".

The Voters Choice Act would change the definition of a minor political party from the current district-by-district electoral formula (2% of a recent winner's vote total) to one based upon statewide voter registrations (0.05%), and allow minor political parties to nominate candidates for all offices directly according to their party rules, and at their own expense, rather than by the existing nomination papers process. Independent candidates would continue to nominate candidates for all offices via the current nomination papers process, but using the same signature requirements required of the two old parties rather than the current district-by-district electoral formula (2% of a recent winner's vote total).

A copy of the Voters Choice Act and its accompanying white paper can be found on the Coalition's website at www.PaBallotAccess.org.

The Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition (PBAC) is an association of representatives from Pennsylvania’s largest political third parties and independent campaigns, including the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, the Constitution Party, the America First Party, the Reform Party, the Prohibition Party, the Socialist Party, the Unified Independent Party, the New American Independent Party, and the Ralph Nader campaign, among others.

The Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition, PO Box 309, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081
www.PaBallotAccess.org PBAC@PaBallotAccess.org
Voice: (610) 543-8427 Fax: (215) 572-9248