Put Your Big Girl Panties on and Deal With it!

Bill Hendrix, 75, is a seasoned poll worker and a member of the Silver-Haired Legislature, an advisory body that offers legislative proposals related to senior citizens.

"Most of the poll workers in Alabama are about three years younger than the average life expectancy," Hendrix said, "and they have just worked a 15-hour day setting up, running the election and then counting the votes. They are so tired at the end of the day, they don't need to count write-in votes, too."

Thus Hendrix proposed, and the Silver-Haired Legislature adopted, a resolution to require that a candidate whose name is not on the general election ballot pay a minimum $100 fee to have his votes for a particular office counted. Otherwise, the poll workers would not be obligated to tally the write-in votes.

The proposal has attracted the attention of state Rep. Paul DeMarco, R-Homewood.
"As a candidate, I have to pay a filing fee and complete a lot of paperwork, like the ethics forms," DeMarco said. He said he did not have a problem with a write-in candidate declaring a candidacy and paying a fee before the general election.
--------------------

Maybe one solution to this problem is to hire poll workers who don't need to be in bed as soon as the sun sets. The poll workers already get paid to do this work and a write-in candidate paying $100 will not make one iota of difference once that $100 is spread out over all the polls in Alabama. The votes will still have to be counted.

Additionally, if my name isn't going to be listed on the ballot then I won't pay a dime to have my votes counted. The Constitution provides for no such penalty for write-in candidates and I will challenge this law (if it passes) to the highest court.

Here is my advice to the poll workers, the Silver-haired legislature and Rep. DeMarco..

PUT ON YOUR BIG GIRL PANTIES AND DEAL WITH IT!!
(a bluegal original)

My advice to my supporters and others who are sick of being excluded from our very own political process...write a Letter to the Editor of the BHAM News stating why this is the wrong way to correct the problem of overly restrictive ballot access regulations. Then write Rep. DeMarco and your representative in the legislature and ask them not to support any bill that would further restrict write-in candidates from participating in elections, but instead look at changing the ballot access laws to make them the exact same for all political parties...then we won't have a problem with write-in votes.