Friends of Democracy
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Friends of Democracy is an interest group in the United States of America that promotes election law reform in the states of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
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[edit] Creation
Friends of Democracy was founded by Edward TJ Brown (a Democrat) and David Helfter (a Libertarian) in 2000 to promote election law reforms in the state of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. They drafted model legislation, a comprehensive Voter's Bill of Rights and helped mobilize support behind state and federal election law reform bills. Today, it remains the only organization in North Dakota and South Dakota that has a primary goal of election law reform.
[edit] Model legislation
The interest group drafts model bills and amendments for election law reform issues, especially in terms of ensure fair and equitable ballot access laws. Afterwhich it lobbies for the introduction of these model laws through the legislative process or from the initiative and refrendum process.
[edit] Voter's Bill of Rights
After the 2000 Presidential election various regional and national interest groups interested in election law reform came together with the Independent Progressive Policy Network to draft a list of election law reform goals. Not long afterwards, Friends of Democracy developed a similar list.
[edit] Recent events
In 2004 David Helfter died in an accident. Friends of Democracy continues to exist as a small interest group dedicated to election law reforms.
[edit] Election law
In the 1980s the North Dakota legislators amended the state election law to prohibit candidates that filed for ballot access through the independent petition nomination process to have any political party label next to their name. In most states, the nomination petition process for independent and minor political party is the same, with minor party candidates simply write in their minor party label on the paperwork. The result was that the only way for a minor political party to nominate its candidates to appear on the general election ballot with their party affiliation, was to go through laborious state process of creating a new political party (collecting 7,000 citizen signatures) every election cycle (unless the party's candidate receives ten percent of the popular vote in certain elections). Adding to the challenge was the law specified that a nominination petition to create a new political party could only be circulated during a specific time frame that just happen to be when North Dakota weather tended to be at its coldest.
In the 1996, the first two minor political parties were able to successfully use this new party process and field candidates; the Reform Party and the Natural Law Party. However, both state political parties became defunct after a conflict that arose between two parties on the national level in 2000.
In 2004 the state law was amended so that in Presidential elections, minor political parties could go through the independent nomination petition process and still have their political party label next to the candidates name. The law also extended the time period that a nominating petition to organize a new political party could be circulated and said that any political party candidate receives five percent or more of the popular vote in the previous election for United States President, State Governor, Attorny General or Secretary of State shall be entitled to ballot access in the next election.
However, candidates that use the independent nomination petition process to get on the general election ballot can still only have the phrase, "Independent" next to their name unless it is for the United States Presidential election.
As of 2005 there are websites for some North Dakota minor political parties, but it is unclear how active they are. Friends of Democracy has been lobbying for election law reforms in the state, since 2000, and is working on getting a citizens initiatve on the ballot to deal with the issue of ballot access law.
[edit] Information on North Dakota minor political parties
North Dakota Constitution Party - Seeks to greatly reduce the size of government, especially in the area of state taxes, regulations and social services provided. In terms of social policy, the party believes in a right of citizens to private ownership of firearms and invokes the Bible to call for the prohibition of abortion and homosexuality.
North Dakota Green Party - The North Dakota Green Party has never been terribly active, and tends to only organize in order to get the Green Party presidential candidate on ballot.
North Dakota Libertarian Party - Perhaps the most active minor political party in North Dakota. The party has had regular monthly meetings in Fargo, an updated website and was the only minor political party to nominate a candidate for Governor in the 2004 state election.
Socialist-Marxist Party of North Dakota - A democratic socialist party. Has an updated website, but has not endorsed any candidates in North Dakota.
American Reform Party of North Dakota - Neither faction of the Reform Party seems to be active in North Dakota.
