[Platform] Bulletin for the Advisory Ballot Working Group (ABWG)

Mon May 19 12:51:18 EDT 2008

Original Message:
-----------------
From: John Andrews jandrews166 at gmail.com
Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 16:49:32 -0400
To: jandrews166 at gmail.com, etwee at earthlink.net, DvEngland at aol.com,
lorenzonine at earthlink.net, 
tom.flittie at gmail.com, mikeheichman at verizon.net, gooberthink06 at yahoo.com,
merelice at gmail.com, 
chanrandall24 at comcast.net, mikesances at gmail.com, jstein at massmed.org
Subject: Bulletin for the Advisory Ballot Working Group (ABWG)

May 18, 2008

BULLETIN

ADVISORY BALLOT WORKING GROUP
OF THE GREEN-RAINBOW PARTY

Hi, Everyone.
Things are happening with the ABWG!  I'm including several items of interest
in this bulletin.  Please note that our next telecon is Tuesday at 8PM.
    - John Andrews

=======
CONTENTS OF THIS BULLETIN

1) Next Telecon:  Tuesday 8pm
2) ABWG Listserv
3) Proposals for Two Ballot Questions
4) Informational Brochure

==============
1) NEXT TELECON: TUESDAY 8PM

Here is the call-in information for the next ABWG telecon.  Thing
Date:      Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Start Time:     8:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Dial-in Number:     1-605-475-4150  (Midwest long distance tolls apply)
Participant Access Code     88777

Tentative agenda items:

• Approval of minutes of previous meetings
• ABWG Listserv announcement
• ABWG brochure
•  Outreach activities
•  Approval of Secure Green Future Question
•  Approval of Ranked Choice Voting Question
•
=================
2) ABWG LISTSERV

A listserv mailing list has been created for the ABWG (Thanks to Jamie
O'Keefe for setting this up!)  This list will be used for conducting the
business of the ABWG (It will not be used for disseminating general public
information about the ballot questions.).  All ABWG members should subscribe
to this list.  In a few more days, we will cease sending ABWG notices to
individual email addresses.

To subscribe to the list, go to:
http://green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/platform-abwg

To post to this list, send your email to:

 platform-abwg at green-rainbow.org

=============================================

3. PROPOSALS FOR TWO BALLOT QUESTIONS

At the next telecon, the ABWG will be asked to approve two ballot
questions:  Secure Green Future and Ranked Choice Voting.  The approval
forms for these questions are provided in Attachment 1 and Attachment 2
below.  Please look them over before the telecon.  Our approval is needed
before the question can be sent to the Attorney General for vetting.  Note
that we do NOT require that all blanks be filled in before we approve the
question.

==============================================
4. INFORMATIONAL BROCHURE

You should have received Bill Cunningham's draft of the informational
brochure on the process for placing a public policy question on the ballot.
Give Bill feedback if you want to suggest any improvements to this draft.

==============================================

ATTACHMENT 1

PROPOSAL FOR SECURE GREEN FUTURE BALLOT QUESTION
Submitted by John Andrews.

----------------------------------------------------------
BASIC INFORMATION ON THE QUESTION
----------------------------------------------------------

Date this form was completed:  5/17/08

Title of Question: Secure Green Future

Topic of Question: Global warming, green jobs

Current draft of text:

Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote in  favor
of legislation that: 1) reduces greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts by
80% by 2020; 2) phases out fossil fuel-based power generation facilities;
and 3) redirects taxpayer subsidies for energy-intensive activities (such as
fossil fuel power plants, airport expansion, high-end housing, dog tracks,
casinos, and sprawl development) to the creation of community-based green
jobs in locally-owned businesses and cooperatives in renewable energy,
conservation, and local sustainable agriculture – with special attention to
the economic revitalization of lower income communities?

Word count of text: 54

Explain why this proposed question is good for organizing, outreach,
activation of citizens, and producing needed public policy changes:

There is widespread pubic awareness that we need to make major changes in
public policy to address the challenges of global warming and peak oil.
Numerous green citizens groups have sprung up across the state to press for
reductions in fossil fuel use and support for green community economic
development.  There are attempts by incumbents to divert them to marginal
activities and keep their deep concerns from becoming political and
impacting policy in a fundamental way.  Thus far, government response has
been grossly inadequate when measured against what is needed.  The 80%
reduction figure is proposed by Lester Brown in his book Plan B.  This
question allows citizens to hold their representative accountable for real
solutions, not window dressing.

----------------------------------------------
DISTRICT STRATEGY
-----------------------------------------------

District targeting strategy [In which districts would there be sufficient
public support and sufficient volunteers for the question to succeed?  If
specific districts are being targeted, identify them.]:

• Progressive and environmentally-aware districts.
• Districts fighting airport expansion, overdevelopment, casinos, sprawl,
coal plants, LNG facilities.
• Districts hard-hit by fossil fuel and food costs and job losses.

More likely communities based on responses to date:

Amherst
Billerica (fighting impending construction of new natural gas power plant)
Cambridge
Lawrence
Lexington (Active global warming group)
Roxbury (Boston Workers Alliance and ACE are interested in the
community-based green jobs piece of this. Both are based in Roxbury.)
Somerset
Somerset  (fighting LNG facility)
Somerville
Waltham
Westport (fighting LNG facility)

Others TBD

----------------------------------------------
ORGANIZATIONAL OUTREACH
-----------------------------------------------
Potential and actual participating organizations and their status [List
organization name and indicate status as follows]:
A - Have given official approval to participating
B - Have given unofficial approval to participating
C - Have indicated support, but no firm commitment yet
D - Have indicated interest
E -  Likely to support, but no contact has been made.
F -  May support.  Worth contacting.

A:  Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities
C:  Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition
C: Boston Workers Alliance (per Pat Keany)
C: District 7 Roundtable
C: Alternatives for Community and the Environment (attended SGF workshop at
Power Shift)
D: MAGJC (Mass. Green Jobs Coalition) (contact Laurie Leyshon)
D: Groundwork Lawrence
D: Coop Power (helped distribute flyers at their workshop at Power Shift)
D: Pioneer Valley Relocalization Project

--------------------------------------------------
VOLUNTEERS
---------------------------------------------------
Question coordinator (principal contact.  Please provide telephone and email
info.):

Person who will serve as chair of ballot committee:  TBD

Person who will serve as treasurer for ballot committee: TBD

Person who will serve as committee liaison with ABWG: TBD

ABWG member who will be liaison with the ballot committee: John Andrews

Names of persons who have volunteered to collect signatures or organize
signature effort:

         NAME                DISTRICT (Town/Representative)
John Andrews    Lexington
Lawrence Fine    Brookline
Jill Stein    Lexington
Kim Walsh    Rochester

Others have expressed interest in the question, but need to be contacted for
a specific commitment to petitioning.

Additional relevant information:

==============================================
ATTACHMENT 2

PROPOSAL FOR RANKED CHOICE VOTING

Submitted by Dave England.

Date this form was completed: May 17, 2008

Title of Question: Ranked Choice Voting

Topic of Question: Ranked Choice Voting (a.k.a. Instant Runoff Voting

Current draft of text:  Shall the representative from this district be
instructed to vote in favor of legislation, or a Constitutional amendment,
that would require that all general and primary elections to statewide
office (Governor, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Attorney General,
Treasurer, and Auditor), as well as to the U.S. House of Representatives,
Governors Council, and the Legislature be conducted according to a system of
ranked-choice voting?  (Also known as instant-runoff voting.)

Word count of text: 70

Explain why this proposed question is good for organizing, outreach,
activation of citizens, and producing needed public policy changes:

This is a non-partisan question which could draw many otherwise dispirit
individuals together -- progressives, conservatives, etc.  It would enable
us, and them, to see that we have at least the improvement of our electoral
system in common.  It is a question that should draw the attention and
activity of all citizens interested in civic improvement, and it would not
only produce a needed public policy change -- consensus winners rather than
plurality winners, it would improve the representation we have in the
Legislature.

----------------------------------------------
DISTRICT STRATEGY
-----------------------------------------------

District targeting strategy [In which districts would there be sufficient
public support and sufficient volunteers for the question to succeed?  If
specific districts are being targeted, identify them.]:

Those who are petitioning for other issues should be encouraged to ask for
signatures on this question as well.  It will take little additional time
but the benefits could be multiple.  Reason: before they can succeed in
accomplishing their issues, they need to address the fact that many
legislators first won election through heavily contested special elections
or open-seat primary elections and won only a plurality of the vote.  Once
elected, they have been rarely opposed, so they don't necessarily represent
the consensus thinking of their constituents.  Implementing RCV could change
the philosophical dynamic of the Legislature over time.

----------------------------------------------
ORGANIZATIONAL OUTREACH
-----------------------------------------------
Potential and actual participating organizations and their status [List
organization name and indicate status as follows]:
A - Have given official approval to participating
B - Have given unofficial approval to participating
C - Have indicated support, but no firm commitment yet
D - Have indicated interest
E -  Likely to support, but no contact has been made.
F -  May support.  Worth contacting.  League of Women Voters,

Common Cause, Libertarian and Republican parties have all endorsed RCV and
should be asked to help.

--------------------------------------------------
VOLUNTEERS
---------------------------------------------------

This area has not yet been addressed.

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