Richard Winger
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Richard Lee Winger (born August 27, 1943) is the publisher and editor of Ballot Access News. He sits on the editorial board of the Election Law Journal and has been accepted as an expert on election law in federal courts in nine states, including California. He publishes analysis, statistics and legal information and supports more equitable laws allowing access to the ballot for minor parties.
Though not a lawyer, Winger testifies in court cases and legislative hearings and is a source for media and political organizers. He has been published in Journal of Election Law, the Fordham Urban Law Review, and other publications. Since 1985 he has published Ballot Access News,[1] a monthly newsletter covering developments in ballot access law and among the minor parties generally.
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[edit] Background
A lifelong Californian, Richard Winger graduated from the University of California, Berkeley as a Political Science major in 1966, and attended Graduate School in Political Science at UCLA.
[edit] Coalition on Free and Open Elections
In 1985 Winger helped found, along with several minor party representatives, the Coalition on Free and Open Elections (COFOE). The group attempts to co-ordinate action and provide mutual support among the various minor parties for efforts to liberalize and reform ballot access laws. COFOE has been a modest operation that briefly had the backing of the ACLU. It has sponsored various lawsuits and other initiatives through the years with mixed success.
COFOE has urged enforcement of the Helsinki Accords in America, and removal of restrictions on minor parties. COFOE continues to meet annually.
[edit] Politics
Winger has been a loyal partisan of the Libertarian Party.[2]
Winger has made only one run for public office, a 1986 campaign for Secretary of State of California on the Libertarian ballot line. As he was running for the office charged with the administration of elections, the campaign was styled as being nonpartisan, intended to represent the interests of all minor parties. Winger finished fourth among five candidates with 1.5% of the vote.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ "Dump the petitions, lower the bar". Chicago Tribune. May 4, 2010. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-05-04/news/ct-oped-0504-zorn-20100503_1_independent-candidates-signatures-assessor. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
- ^ "Listen to Richard Winger and Abel Moldonado debate Prop 14". Independent Political Report. May 11, 2010. http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/05/listen-to-richard-winger-debate-abel-moldonado-debate-prop-14/comment-page-1/. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
- ^ Election results
