Encouraging Independents

[Towntalk]

What is the daily foot traffic at that corner?

Another question is what percentage of that traffic are eligible voters? All petitions are checked for eligibility to vote. A large percentage of the names on candidate petitions are stricken because of the eligibility matter, and unfortunately many of the folks that hang around the downtown area are not registered voters so their signatures would be worthless.

Stationing people at the more popular restaurants downtown at lunch time would get better results since the chances of getting eligible voters would be greater.

Another good spot would be outside the downtown banks.

A friend of mine asked a reasonable question: what the city ordinance say about soliciting downtown?

For my part, I really couldn't care less about the matter, but that's me, and I certainly don't reflect the totality of Youngstown, but I would hate to see a group of people making a good faith effort on the part of a candidate only to have their hard work thrown out by the Board of Election.

For folks like Irishbob, they are fighting an up hill battle as it is, and for that reason their solicitors need to be posted at locations where they have the best opportunity to get valid signatures.

[Towntalk]

The two places I would post folks to get signitures IF I were running for office would be in front of Maag Library (YSU) and the Main Public Library.

[ytowner]

Jay, why would anyone want to sign a signature in front of that piece of crap Liberty Theatre?

[jay]

We've read about the problems one of our members encountered while trying to run as an independent candidate.   In the months ahead, an email network of voters should be established to aid anyone wishing to run as an independent candidate in a future election.  On a specified date, independent candidates and all supporters of open elections would meet somewhere to fill out the petitions.  Hopefully several hundred voters would be willing to participate.  An independent candidate would be able to gather all of the needed signatures within an hour.

Possible locations in Youngstown:
Central Square
or
In from of the Liberty Theater