Subject Matter:

Open Primary  (See Comments)

Original Filing:

To the office of the Secretary of State of Mississippi: I, Doll Swindle, a registered voter of Wayne County, Mississippi, purpose the following initiative which is an issue that has not been addressed: Change the current voting election process for Primaries from closed primary to open primary. this will allow Republican, Democrat, and Independent voters to select the candidate they believe is best for each race without being excluded the opportunity to vote due to their political party affiliation. Each voter is then given the power to show that their vote counts regardless of their political party but their morals, values and beliefs will be heard. Having an open primary will also encourage more people to show up on election day. The candidate for each office will be able to run in whatever political party he or she chooses without having to crossover just to receive votes. Each ballot will have a list of Republican, Democrat, and Independent Candidate for each office. After the votes have been casted then the top Republican, Democrat and Independent Candidate will run in the November Election. This will take the edge off the candidates so that they will be able to run for their political party, but allow voters to choose who they want in office. The money used to fund this open primary format would come from the same funding mechanism that is currently in place for Mississippi elections and should actually reduce the cost associated with the election process in Mississippi.

Proposed Ballot Title:

Should the State adopt an open primary election process limited to Republican, Democrat, and Independent candidates?

Proposed Ballot Summary:

Initiative Measure No. 57 proposes to provide for an open primary election process. All primary ballots would include Republican, Democrat, and Independent Candidates. The Republican, Democrat, and Independent candidates receiving the highest number of votes would advance to the General Election.

Initiative Petition:

N/A

Sponsor:

Ms. Doll Swindle Address: P.O. Box 1312 37 Johnny Paul Davis Road Waynesboro, MS 39367

Status:

Expired

Town Meeting Location:

N/A

Initiative Information:

The official ballot title and ballot summary for an initiative measure are prepared by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office. Initiative measures are valid for one year. During this one-year period, a petition may be circulated to place the measure on the next statewide general election ballot to allow the voters of Mississippi to determine whether the measure should become a part of the Mississippi Constitution. According to Mississippi law, for an initiative measure to be placed on the ballot, a minimum of 106,190 certified signatures must be gathered, with at least 21,238 certified signatures from each of the five congressional districts as they existed in the year 2000. This required number of signatures represents twelve percent (12%) of the total number of votes cast for Governor in the last gubernatorial general election. Signatures must be certified by county circuit clerks as belonging to registered voters in Mississippi. A completed petition should be filed with Secretary of State, together with a filing fee of $500.00. For more information on the initiative process in Mississippi, consult the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, Section 273, and Mississippi Code Annotated §§ 23-17-1 through 23-17-61 (1972).

Comments:

(Click to show/hide comments)