Category Archives: Elections

Democracy’s laboratories

By Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

States often are described as laboratories of democracy, which is good because our democracy definitely needs some tinkering. These past few weeks, we’ve seen how three states in particular are running their experiments.

On Tuesday, California held its “top two” party primaries. Republicans, Democrats, and all other candidates appeared on the same ballot, and the top two finishers advanced to the general election regardless of party label.

Why do this? Under the traditional primary system, like in Arkansas, voters choose between participating in the Republican and Democratic primaries. Nationwide, these tend to attract low turnouts composed of a disproportionate share of partisan and ideological voters. As a result, the winners tend also to be partisan and ideological, or at least pretend to be.

The consequence has been a Congress composed heavily of conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats, with a void between them where statesmanlike compromise is supposed to occur. Without a healthy center, Congress gets stuck in gridlock, unable to accomplish even its most basic responsibilities such as passing a budget. The top two voting system theoretically would help remedy this by forcing candidates to appeal to the broader electorate, including voters in the center, assuming there still are some. Continue reading →

It was a good day for the governor – plus, why your vote matters

vote, Mark Moore, 16-year-olds, Arkansas primariesBy Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

It was a good night for Gov. Asa Hutchinson – actually, a good two days.

On Monday, he visited the White House, where President Trump sent a tweet endorsing him and praising him for his “incredible job.” Then on Tuesday, Hutchinson won almost 70 percent of the vote in an election he said was “about the soul of the Republican Party.”

He now enters the general election campaign with a huge fundraising lead and a huge advantage having “Gov.” in front of his name and “R” behind it.

Meanwhile, Tuesday saw the defeats of two of his least favorite legislators, Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, and Sen. Linda Collins-Smith, R-Pocahontas. Both oppose his Arkansas Works health program and oppose him at other times, too – King especially and vocally and sometimes not nicely. They were defeated by Republicans much more agreeable to Hutchinson: King by Rep. Bob Ballinger, R-Berryville, and Collins-Smith by Rep. James Sturch, R-Batesville.

Here are some other observations following Tuesday’s results. Continue reading →

Better way to elect, or select, judges?

Alabama, blue wave, school boards, Hixson, Breanne, red tide, judicial electionsBy Steve Brawner , © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Let’s say you were on trial for a murder you didn’t commit. Your fate would be decided by average Arkansans.

Which process would you prefer?

A. A small group of focused people from all walks of life would hear both sides of the case through an orderly process. You would have a chance to testify. By the end, they would have adequate information upon which to make their decision.

B. Maybe a million distracted Arkansans would decide your case along with other cases by clicking “guilty” or “innocent” on an electronic ballot. Their information would be limited, and much of it would come from 30-second ads and mailers produced by anonymous people who say you’re guilty.

If you chose “A,” that’s the jury system. If you chose “B,” that’s the way we elect judges.

Continue reading →

Can the center make a comeback?

vote, Mark Moore, 16-year-olds, Clarke TuckerBy Steve Brawner

© 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Does “the middle” equal “mushy”?

The concept came up in an interview with Rep. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, by the New York Times. The newspaper featured Tucker in a story about national Democrats favoring moderate candidates in Republican-leaning districts like central Arkansas’ 2nd.

It’s represented by Republican Rep. French Hill, himself not a fire-breather, but national and local Democrats think they have a shot at winning it. So they recruited Tucker and have backed him financially.  Continue reading →

Voters flying blind on Supreme Court race

Lake View, Arkansas Supreme CourtOnly three names appear on every ballot in Arkansas in the May primary elections: Justice Courtney Goodson, Judge Kenneth Hixson, and attorney David Sterling, the three candidates running for Goodson’s Arkansas Supreme Court justice seat.

For voters, making an informed choice between the three can be challenging – like flying blind or at least with limited visibility. The Supreme Court race is nonpartisan, and we voters rely on those Ds and Rs by candidates’ names. Moreover, judicial candidates aren’t supposed to say how they would vote in particular cases – unlike, say, a congressional candidate who can promise not to cut taxes. The thinking is, if a judicial candidate reveals a preference beforehand, he or she can’t serve as an impartial jurist when it counts.

Outside groups, however, don’t have those limitations.  Continue reading →