The Parties Are Over

About three million Californians have rejected all political parties, registered as independent voters, and, in the arcane jargon of the government, morphed into “decline to states.”

They are the fastest-growing segment of voters and, because they can vote in primary elections, Democrats and Republicans chase them like a frat boy looking for Saturday night action. But when election time is over and the pols are sworn in, they are treated exactly the way said frat boy treats his date the next morning.

There is a way to fix that, though: make everyone an independent. Amend the state Constitution to declare that all elected offices are non-partisan. Erase the Ds and Rs and Gs from ballots. Individuals could still belong to political parties, they just couldn’t run as a representative of the party.

Think lots of positive results and much entertainment.

If every candidate is independent, more could run. The traditional parties could still put up their anointed and give them the money the need to breathe in and out. But, so could other organized groups or parties– big business, enviros, gun nuts and even (dare we speak the word?) moderates. Over time, people would dole out campaign contributions to people who represent their interests rather than holding heir noses and writing a check to the lesser of two evils.

This system would also change how government is run Instead of a single party deciding who gets which parking space, coalitions would rule. Fiscal conservatives would band together during budget deliberations, but the same individuals would join a different club on gun control issues. There might be party positions on issues, but when there’s a dozen or more of them roaming the halls, compromise would rule.

Does this smell like a parliamentary system? Not to fine-tuned noses. The U.S. Constitution bars apportioned representation based on such factors as party identity, ethnicity, religion or birthright (ref: the House of Lords in the U.K.) Individuals, not party leaders, would assume office. One-person-one vote and winner-take-all would finally mean something.

(Note to cynics: Yes, the two main parties would continue to rule for awhile. But if just a few real Decline to States get elected all hell would break loose. That’s when the entertainment would start.)

The biggest challenge is to get the right words on a statewide ballot. Maybe Arnold “Let the People Decide” Schwarzenegger could pull it off as a lovely parting gift in 2010.