Sisters man on Independent Party ballot

Registered voters of the Independent Party in Oregon will participate in an innovative online primary from July 8 through July 30.

"I am on that ballot," said candidate for governor, Richard Esterman of Sisters.

Voters who registered by June 9 will receive a pass code in the mail that will enable them to vote in the primary.

Esterman noted that there will be other, higher-profile names also on the ballot, thanks to the advent of "fusion voting," which allows major-party candidates to cross over onto minor party ballots and conceivably win their nomination. Candidates can carry up to three party affiliations onto the general election ballot.

Democrat John Kitzhaber will also be on the Independent Party ballot, Esterman noted.

"People are going to get confused when they see that," he said.

Another point of potential confusion lies in the name of the party. The Independent Party is a distinct party, not a catch-all phrase for nonaffiliated, "independent" voters.

Esterman approached the Independent Party after failing to get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot on his own without party affiliation. The Sisters photographer said he could not have gathered enough signatures without paying signature gatherers.

"The little guy... there's always a roadblock in the way," he said. "I'm the only one, to my knowledge, who's still in the running who's not rich."

For more information on Esterman's candidacy, visit http://www.richardesterman.com/governor..

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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