Voters who register with the Independent Party of Oregon before June 24 will be able to participate in the IPO’s presidential preference ballot, which will be conducted online from July 4th – 18th. By doing this, we can help determine who will have an “I” beside their name on the ballot along with their other party affiliation. Who will it be: Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Jill Stein, or someone else?
For citizens who participated in the recent Oregon primary, this gives us a second chance to support our chosen candidate. After I voted for Bernie Sanders in the state’s Democratic primary, I registered with the IPO so I can help strengthen his position in the election. Changing my party status only took a couple of minutes at the Secretary of State’s voter webpage.
So what happens if Bernie Sanders wins the endorsement of the Independent Party, yet loses the nomination for the Democratic Party? I posed that question to Sal Peralta, secretary of the IPO. He said the answer may require a judicial ruling.
Says Peralta: “The Secretary of State has asserted that the IPO cannot nominate any candidate who appeared on Oregon’s presidential preference primary ballot but does not ultimately receive the major party nomination for President that she or he is seeking. Thus, Bernie Sanders cannot receive the IPO nomination if he does not win the Democratic nomination. This could be challenged in court, and we believe there is a strong argument for success, if the candidate were to support such an effort.”
That last “if” makes the prospect of a third-party run seem unlikely for Bernie, since he’s said that isn’t his intention. Nevertheless, it is reasonable for the Independent Party to keep the door open, in case the situation changes.
Regardless of what happens at the Democratic convention, it would be an additional show of strength for Bernie to win the IPO nomination. Good for the movement, beyond his campaign. Good positioning for political reform.
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