Recall Elections

Recall is a procedure allowing electors to remove and replace a public official before the end of a term of office.

Eighteen states permit recall of state officials (a nineteenth, Virginia, allows recall petitions but removal is by trial rather than by election). In addition, at least 29 states (some sources say 36) allow recall of local officials.

North Carolina has no recall provision for either state or local elected officials.

The U.S. Constitution has no recall provision for federal elected officials.

Most recall provisions were adopted early in the twentieth century, spurred by efforts of the Progressive Movement to introduce more direct democracy. Progressive Movement proposals consisted of a package, usually including the initiative (which allowed the public to initiate legislation), the referendum (which allowed the public to vote on adoption of legislation), and the recall.

As an indication of how widespread support for these measures was, in 1910 the State of Mississippi adopted a constitutional amendment providing for initiative, referendum and recall. In that case, it didn't take the Mississippi Supreme Court long to rule that the constitutional amendment itself was unconstitutional.

The Progressive Movement's package included some federal measures as well. The only proposed electoral measure actually implemented was direct election of senators, adopted by constitutional amendment in 1913.

What Political Type Are You?

Another way of sorting voters out is by political typology.

Since 1987, the Pew Center on People and the Press has conducted surveys to analyze how many identifiable clusters (people sharing views on political values) there are in the United States. The number generally sorts out to about ten groupings, more or less.

What political type are you?

You can find out by taking the test at the Pew website: http://typology.people-press.org/

After you take the test, you may find it interesting to read the Center's description of the nine typologies identified in 2005.

Political Spectrum

Where are you on the political spectrum?

We usually speak of individuals and political parties as though they lie somewhere along a straight-line scale from liberal on the left to conservative on the right. To some observers, this seems an overly limited scheme to describe a complex phenomenon.

A group of scholars have devised a more complex, two-dimensional scheme based on a Cartesian coordinate (x-y) scale. In this scheme, one dimension represents position on economic issues (left-right) and the other dimension represents position on social issues (authoritarian-libertarian).

If you want to know where you fit in a two-dimensional scale, check out the Political Compass web site: http://www.politicalcompass.org/

Where do you fit? Take the test. You may be surprised.

Then explore the site. You will see an analysis of where last year's US presidential candidates fit in the scheme and where certain foreign and historical figures come in.

Political Representation: Who Can Vote?

At the time of the first federal census, only white male property owners (about 10 percent of the population) could vote. Some states had a religious qualification. None allowed women to vote.

By 1810 religious qualifications had been removed. By 1850, property owner and tax requirements were eliminated. Almost all white males could vote.

Beginning in 1855, some states imposed literacy tests, in part to limit voting by Irish-Catholic immigrants. From at least that time, there was increasing tension between the effort to expand the electorate and efforts to limit that expansion.

In 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, candidates for the U.S. Senate from the state of Illinois, debated each other at locations all over the state. We often forget, though, that the only voters in that election were the members of the Illinois State Senate.

After the Civil War, the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments granted citizenship rights to former slaves, including the right to vote.

In 1868, women in the Territory of Wyoming could vote, but nowhere else in the United States.

In 1889 Florida adopted a poll tax, followed by ten other southern states. In order to vote, one had to present poll tax receipts for every year from the time first eligible to vote. Most of these states also established literacy tests. It was at the sole discretion of the registrar to decide whether the registrant met literacy standards. This made it easier to prevent African Americans from voting.

In 1913 the 17th Amendment established direct election of senators. In 1920 the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. The 1924 Indian Citizenship Act granted Native Americans citizenship rights, including the right to vote.

In 1944, the Supreme Court banned "white primaries." From the 1950's on, a series of legislative initiatives and Supreme Court decisions eliminated the poll tax and literacy requirements, reduced the voting age to 18, reduced residency requirements and introduced measures making it easier to register and vote.

The work of expanding the electorate goes on.

Political Representation: Not a Simple Matter

We all remember learning the cry of American Colonials: "No taxation without representation!"

But what exactly is representation? This certainly is the basic question in a representative democracy.

We decided early in our history that the basis for representation and voting was geographic. That is, you had to live in the particular locality or district of the elected official to be able to vote.

To us, this seems obvious. But it isn't obvious to everyone. The British Parliament in 1776 believed they represented all the people in the empire, no matter where they lived. The thirteen American colonies disputed this.

Geographic propinquity also wasn't the principal of the French parliament. There, representation was by social and economic class: the three estates. The first estate was the [catholic] clergy; the second estate was the nobility; the third estate was commoners, mainly the more privileged towns.

In modern Lebanon, representation is apportioned by religion.

So there are other schemes.

But ours is geography. And since, unlike most European countries, we have no national gendarmerie and no internal passports, the mechanism for determining eligibility to vote in a particular district is voter registration.

As we enter a new political season, everyone should make sure his or her voter registration is up to date.

Politics Ain't Beanbag

Beginning of candidate filing period in North Carolina calls to mind the aphorism of the fictional Mr. Dooley, creation of the humorist and editor, Finley Peter Dunne.

The part that's frequently quoted says, simply: "Politics ain't beanbag." The reader is left to surmise that there must be a game using bags of beans, not likely to cause lasting damage to the participants.

It is worth recalling the whole quote:
"Politics ain't beanbag: 'tis a man's game, and women, children 'n' pro-hy-bitionists had best stay out of it."

A quick glance at the list of candidates who have filed so far reveals that women are no longer staying out of the game of politics, even if it still "ain't beanbag." And that's a mighty good thing.

Didn't We Just Have an Election?

No one ever said Democracy was easy.

In North Carolina, we have elections every year. This year the filing period opens at noon Monday, February 8, and closes at noon Friday, February 26.

Offices up for election include: United States Senate and House of Representatives; State Senate and House; District Attorney for our district; Pamlico County Commissioners District 3 and District 4 and two at-large seats; County Sheriff; Clerk of Superior Court; Board of Education District 4 and two at-large seats. In addition, we will vote for one seat on the NC Supreme Court, four seats on the Court of Appeals and two Superior Court Judges.

The above offices may have both a primary election May 4 and a General Election November second.

Just to make things easier to understand, there are two seats on the Pamlico County Soil and Water Conservation Supervisory Board. The filing period for those seats is June 14 to July 8.

The Board of Education seats are elected at a nonpartisan election held during the May 4 primary.

Oh, yes. There will be one-stop voting and instant registration for the Primary election, the second (runoff) primary if held, and the general election.

Everyone will have plenty of opportunities to vote.

Mark February 26 on your calendar. That would be a good day to start finding out about the candidates.

Thoughts of a Lame Duck

The voters have spoken. That's what democracy is about.

Yesterday I listened to General Casey speaking at a service at Fort Hood in honor of the thirteen killed last Thursday on the base. He quoted from Isaiah 6:8: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I, send me."

I know no passage of scripture that more clearly and succinctly portrays the ethic of service. I have had the honor over the years of knowing many who answered the call to serve their country, their state, their community, without thought of profit or pecuniary benefit. The best of them claimed no special virtue, sought no accolades, no glory. They just did what needed to be done. I tried to follow their example.

Thoughts on Election Day

It's two o'clock in the afternoon. I set up a tent this morning outside Oriental's polling place at the fire station and have talked to many of the voters who have streamed in to the polls.

Oriental's residents care about their town, and they vote. I am proud to be one of them.

We won't know until this evening, after the polls close at 7:30, how the election came out: who among the nine candidates for town commissioner will be chosen by the voters to sit on the five-member Town Board.

However the election turns out this time, I want to thank the voters for allowing me to serve on the board. It has been a pleasure and an honor.

I also want to say I have enjoyed serving with each of the present commissioners. They are all talented, dedicated and conscientious. What a fine bunch! I am proud to have been counted in their number.

Thank you again.

David

Campaign Heating Up

Oriental's campaign for political office is heating up.

At least six of my campaign signs have disappeared. This follows an earlier incident when one of my signs was removed from its place along Church street and later found at the entrance to Town Hall. Two anonymous calls complained that my sign was on town property. Of course, I didn't put it there. My signs are only at places where the owner requests them.

The most recent disappearance occurred this morning (Oct 23). The sign was on the property when the owner went to bed at 2:00 a.m. and had disappeared by the time he got up at 7:00.

It isn't unusual in hotly contested campaigns for signs to be stolen. Usually this is done by supporters of other candidates concerned that their candidate may not be doing well. An alternative explanation is that the thieves merely wanted a souvenir. If they had just asked, I would have been glad to provide a souvenir sign after the election.

Another possibility is that the signs are stolen by thieves concerned at my efforts to enlarge the town's police force.