Several years ago, I switched my registration from Democrat to No-Party-Affiliation because, like so many others, I felt that the Democrats were largely failing to offer candidates that are consistent with my sense of how the party should operate. This year, because I wanted to vote for Bernie in Florida's closed primary, I took it upon myself to learn the basic rules that needed to be followed so I could do so successfully - - the process was neither difficult nor time-consuming, and I had no problem casting my vote for him.

When Bernie decided last year to run as a Democrat, I wasn't terribly surprised. Despite the fact that party loyalists believe you are not good enough for their clique unless you have been registered as a Democrat for an unspecified length of time, Bernie made it clear that his choice to run within the party was in recognition of the fact that at this moment in history, the only realistic way to effect a meaningful shift in the party's philosophy is to work from within it; if this meant taking on an official label in order to accomplish the objective, then so be it — it's not a high price to pay if it does not require the compromise of core values that make one a proud liberal. Thus, in the face of Bernie's so-clearly-stated intentions and goals, it has been terribly surprising to watch so many of his supporters miss this fundamental part of the message of his candidacy:

You cannot change the rules without first playing by the existing ones.

While it absolutely is the case that there are many states that work to restrict the franchise (including the one in which I live), it does not alter the essential truth that people are mistaken if they believe they can influence the party by remaining registered as Independents while living in states with closed primaries. In other words, you can't willingly (or negligently) disenfranchise yourself for the primary and then wonder why the party is not offering you your choice of candidate in the general election.

It’s true that New York is a particularly egregious example of active voter-suppression (ironic that it identifies as being a blue state), but it also is nevertheless the case that the rules in many states (including Arizona) actually are not terribly inimical to being able to vote if one has the interest in doing so. Thus, the argument of “voter-suppression” takes you only so far — at a certain point, it is not unreasonable to expect voters to take some responsibility for learning the basic rules, and for doing the things necessary to ensure that their votes are cast and that their voices are heard. Although it has been a rude awakening for many people to discover that political parties are in fact private organizations, that fact alone does not mean we must abandon all hope. Instead, people just need to understand the aforementioned aspect of Bernie’s message.... and act accordingly.

As long as I am wearing the label of Democrat, I decided to try to put it to some good use. In early March 2016, I filed paperwork to become a candidate for the Florida House of Representatives. I am running in District 67, which comprises Clearwater and a good chunk of Largo (for the geographically challenged, this is directly across the bay from Tampa).

A few days ago, I established an ActBlue page where people can donate to my candidacy; for anyone who would like to help, here is the link:

https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/electvogel