The evening of October 25th 2015 on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University featured an event where Democratic Candidate Jack Conway and Republican Candidate Matt Bevin squared off on stage in a debate for Kentucky Governor general election. The only problem is that Drew Curtis, fark.com creator, and independent candidate was not allowed on stage even though he is a legal candidate for office and will appear on the ballot November 3rd when the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky will elect their next Governor among other offices up for grabs. The organization that arranged this debate was none other than the League of Women Voters of Kentucky. The watch dog group that is supposed to watch out for unfair voting practices and champion fairness in democratic elections chose to exclude Drew Curtis on the basis that he did not achieve a polling threshold of 10% prior to the debate. This of course is questionable considering a poll conducted from October 14th-15th by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates showed that Drew Curtis polled at 11%. Below is the link from that poll.
http://www.mattbevin.com/survey?utm_campaign=poll_tied&utm_medium=email&utm_source=mb4kentucky
However this is a moot argument considering that this debate was held on public property funded by the state and has a responsibility of being fair, non-partisan, and applicable to all election laws. Excluding a candidate that has followed the KRS to the letter to appear on the ballot based on arbitrary "Debate/Forum" policies set by a non-profit organization is abhorrent to a fair Democratic election. Below is a letter that I have sent to both of my representatives in Frankfort.
"I am a constituent from Estill County, Kentucky. I am writing you today to request that you consider the attached email below. As a concerned citizen of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, I am coming to you to ask that you work with your colleagues in Frankfort to draft and pass legislation regarding the fairness of not only ballot access for third party candidates, but fairness in public debates. Currently for some offices, the KRS mandates that third party candidates acquire five thousand signatures in order to appear on ballots. Republican and Democrat candidates only require two signatures. This is a very discriminatory law that must be rectified. The substance of my writing you today however has to do with the October 25th Kentucky Governor debate that was held on Eastern Kentucky University's campus. This was a debate organized by the League of Women Voters of Kentucky. This Debate only had the Democratic Candidate Jack Conway and Republican Candidate Matt Bevin. The debate excluded Independent candidate Drew Curtis on the grounds that their "Debate/Forum policy" required that a candidate poll at least 10%. In a poll conducted by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates conducted on October 14th-15th showed that Drew Curtis polled at 11%.
http://www.mattbevin.com/survey?utm_campaign=poll_tied&utm_medium=email&utm_source=mb4kentucky
However, I find that to be a moot point considering that the debate for the state's highest office was held on PUBLIC property that operates on PUBLIC funding through the state. I am asking that you champion my concerns in Frankfort to ensure a more fair Democratic election process. I am asking that the KRS be amended to prohibit such arbitrary exclusionary rules from being executed by organizations arranging public debates because the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky deserve to hear each candidate that legally appears on the ballot. I would be more than happy to meet with you to discuss this matter further.
Thank You,
Virgil Edwards"
Would you join me in demanding a more fair democratic voting process for all including third party candidates so that we can finally bring an end to the two party paradigm that continues to produce debt, waste, and usurpation of rights and wealth from WE THE PEOPLE?
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