Blocking the Vote

Former Federal Election Commission chief Bradley A. Smith runs through some of the latest outrages in bipartisan ballot shenanigans in the Wash Post: How Dems are using bogus laws to keep GOP candidates from running in Texas and Ohio and a Green candidate in Pennsylvania, how Republicans are screwing with same, etc.

Smith concludes:

Elections should be decided by voters in November, not by lawyers and judges in August. For the past six years much attention has been focused on improving the mechanics of voting and on calls for redistricting reform. But another important way to ensure that voters, rather than courts, choose our leaders is to demand election laws that are no more extensive in their reach than absolutely necessary. A comprehensive review of election laws that serve no compelling state interest would be a good place to start in 2007.

Whole thing here.

Smith takes down "John McCain's War on Political Speech" in Reason here. Reason interviews with Smith here and here.