CONTACT:
Free and Equal Elections Foundation
Christina Tobin, Founder & President
Phone: 312-320-4101
Email: christina@freeandequal.org
Web: www.freeandequal.org
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado May Need an Intervention.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado, the California Independent Voter Network and the Yes on Prop 14 campaign have asked the courts to allow them to intervene as defendants in the lawsuit against state Senate Bill 6. A hearing regarding whether they have legal standing to intervene is scheduled for Tuesday, August 24, 9 a.m. in the County of San Francisco’s Superior Court of California.
Richard Winger, plaintiff in the lawsuit against SB 6, and Christina Tobin, CEO and founder of Free and Equal Elections Foundation and StopTopTwo.org creator, gave a press conference at the California State Capitol, Tuesday, August 17, where they called for Maldonado to help fix the problems in SB 6 that resulted in the lawsuit. While that was happening, Maldonado and the two groups were attempting to insert themselves into the lawsuit against SB 6. Torey Van Oot, from the Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Alert blog, announced the SB 6 press conference, and has an article on Maldonado’s attempted interference.
“Maldonado should be fixing the problems in SB 6, not trying to take over as a defendant for the other side,” Tobin said. “He might need a different kind of intervention if he actually thinks the write-in procedures of SB 6 are the least bit acceptable, not to mention for his behavior holding the state budget hostage in exchange for passing this unrelated legislation. They need to stop trying to cover up the blatant problems SB 6 creates. It was sloppy legislation passed in the wee hours of the morning without public input or expert opinion. Maldonado and his cohorts are being dishonest in refusing to admit that.”
“SB 6 creates a ballot with a specific space for voters to write-in a candidate, but it bans those votes from being counted,” Tobin said. “That little detail wasn’t on the ballot June 8th. Nor was there anything on the ballot mentioning that some candidates will be able to identify which political party they prefer, while other candidates cannot. When Abel or his friends start talking about those two issues we might start to believe they are sincere about reforming California politics.”
Maldonado’s statement, put out by NewsBlaze, said, “The measure overwhelmingly passed and is now being challenged by political insiders who strive to maintain a dysfunctional status quo.”
“With lies like this, Maldonado needs an intervention,” Tobin said. “He needs to stop drinking the typical politician kool-aid with his empty soundbite rhetoric, fake reforms and meddling in lawsuits to cover up the problems he created. Proposition 14, getting 53.7% of the primary vote with only a 33% turnout is hardly overwhelming. The plaintiffs and Free and Equal are not rich or connected insiders, unlike Governor Schwarzenegger’s $5 million Yes on Prop 14 campaign. (link Businessweek) CAIVN and their cheerleader, Steve Peace, have their own special agenda as well.”
“Free and Equal strives for consideration of real election reforms such as proportional representation, which is used in 73 countries,” Tobin said. “Gautam Dutta, legal counsel for the lawsuit against SB 6, and Steve Chessin, plaintiff in the lawsuit, just discussed proportional representation in depth on our radio show. If that doesn’t prove we’re political outsiders looking to truly break the dysfunctional status quo I don’t know what will.”
“Not one country uses a Top Two election system similar to what SB 6 and Proposition 14 creates,” Tobin said. “Washington’s Top Two system hasn’t done anything but further entrench the status quo there. Maldonado, CAIVN, and Schwarzenegger’s rich and connected Yes on Prop 14 campaign need to stop covering up the problems with SB 6 and Top Two election systems and look at real election reforms.”
StopTopTwo.org, through Free and Equal, has issued several statements regarding the lawsuit against SB 6 recently: StopTopTwo.org’s Christina Tobin Tells Governor Schwarzenegger to Chill Out, July 30; Richard Winger and Christina Tobin to Host Sacramento Press Conference on Election Reforms, August 13; and SB6 Lawsuit Discussed at Tuesday Press Conference at California State Capitol, August 16.
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Free & Equal is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, public-policy advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the rights of the politically marginalized and disenfranchised, particularly those of third party and Independent candidates.