A Flaw In The Election Process?

To the Editor:

There is something inherently wrong with the local election process in Newtown, as well as in many other towns in Connecticut. The present electoral system forces individuals to compete not just against candidates from opposing parties, but also against candidates from the same party.

Competition among individuals from the same party is not new in our democratic system, but it is usually part of the nominating process, whereby potential candidates seek an endorsement in order to represent their party in an election. The objective is to win a seat against challengers from opposing political entities.

The process in Newtown, as well as in many other jurisdictions, essentially pits members of the same party against each other at the polls, in their quest to secure a seat on a board or commission. As an example, in this past election there were many more candidates from all the parties, vying for seats on the Legislative Council and Board of Education, than there were openings. Since only the top four vote-getters running for each Legislative Council district and only the top three running for the BOE would be elected, same-party candidates are forced to compete against each other. This situation may motivate some candidates to encourage their supporters to use only one of their allotted votes, so as not to increase the chances of other candidates in the race, even if they are from the same political party.

I suspect that some people waste a number of their votes in order to benefit the election of a favorite candidate. Where voters have an opportunity to choose who they believe would be the best four candidates for the Legislative Council, in order to ensure the election of just one, some will cast a single vote instead of four, surrendering their franchise for the remaining three.

It seems to me that a better system needs to be created and the laws that mandate balanced representation need to be reconsidered. In two years the Legislative Council seats will again be open for election. If each party were able to submit just one nominee for each distinct and separate seat, then those individuals would be running against candidates from opposing parties only and not members of the same party. Of course, this method could conceivably result in a council composed entirely of members of one political party, but it would have been the voter’s choice.

The state statutes and town charter need to be reexamined and the voting public should have the opportunity to elect those they consider to be the best people, regardless of the resulting political composition of any board, council, or commission. The US Constitution has allowed our legislative branch to operate this way for more than 200 years.

George Caracciolo

Schoolhouse Hill Road, Newtown                             November 12, 2007