Page 573 - Demo

BY IRENE VAN SLYKE I V I B P \\ P V A V C l V lfl? Choosing A President The Hard Way in New York . . . . . . , . . v . _If you are having a parly New Year%u2019s Eve and someone rings the bell after the stroke of midnight it might just turn out to be a Democratic Party stalwart rather than someone who%u2019s arriving late for your party. Supporters of Democratic hopefuls for U.S. President in 1980 find themselves in this unique position because (he New York State Legislature has made January 1 the first date to petition to put candidates on the ballot for the March 25 Presidential Primary in New York State.A recent special session of the State Legislature %u201c amended the State Election Law%u201d to provide for two Primary elections this year%u2014the Presidential on March 25 and local and state offices September 9.The March Primary is the first step in gening ready for the Democratic and Republican National Party Conventions. Bui voters who will go to the polls on March 25 will be surprised to see that unlike years past they will not be electing delegates to the National Democratic Convention. Instead, Democrats will find names of Presidential candidates themselves listed on the ballots and they will be able lo vole for their preference for President.The selection of delegates%u2014and they will be the ones who have the votes at the Democratic National Convention%u2014will be done in an elaborate new combination of elections and made in party caucuses and by appointments by State Party officials. This selection process may or may not produce a candidate in accordance with the wishes of Democratic primary voters since ihe legal requirement for the delegates to reflect the primary vote is only binding on ihc first ballot at the Democratic National Convention.The Republican Party will continue itspractice of voting for delegates alone without listing the delegates%u2019 preferencefo r a P r r s ir le n lin l ra n rlirta lpMAKING VOTES COUNTNeither the Democratic Party system nor the Republican one seems to answer the question of how a voter can make certain that his wish, as expressed in the final vote in that March 25 primary, will be carried out by the delegates in their party%u2019s National Convention: Democrats will vote for a Presidential candidate without knowing who the delegate from their area will be at the National Convention and whether he will follow the vote; Republicans will know who the delegates are but might never know who the delegates prefer for President.The selection of delegates in 1976, at least for the Democratic Party, was quite different than the way it will be in 1980. In 1976 each Congressional District voted separately for slates of delegates which were listed on the ballot with the name of the Presidential candidate the slate was pledged to. Delegates with the most votes won all the district%u2019s convention slots.The 1980 delegate selection process, in contrast will be a long and complicated procedure as created by the Legislature%u2019s action. It will start January 1st with a petitioning campaign to put Presidential candidates names on the ballot. Based on the percentage of the total vote a Presidential candidate receives in the Primary the Slate Democratic Party will see that delegates committed to each Presidential candidate are apportioned to reflect the percentage of vote they receive.Each of the State%u2019s 39 Congressional Districts will be allotted a number of delegates ranging from four to nine. At this level and at each step of the process the delegate slots will be divided equallybetween men and women. OtheF affirmative action goals must also be reflected. About a month after the primary, a party caucus will be held in each of the 39 Congressional districts where Democratic voters will be able to pick delegates to theIf on New Year%u2019s Evesomeone rings the bellafter midnight itmight turn out to be aDemocratic Partystalwart rather thansomeone arriving latefor the party.National Convention. (Final composition of this slate of delegates must reflect the popular vote for each candidate.) Two thirds of the New York delegation to the National Convention will be chosen at these local party caucuses. And even though party and elected officals stress that any Democrat will be eligible to vote, in practice the turnout will be quite low, because voters will think that they have done their duty by voting on March 25.ONLY THREE PERCENT Miriam Bockman, Manhattan%u2019s Democratic County Leader, who is not in favor of the caucus system, says that a caucus after the primary ensures that few people, she estimates, %u201c maybe three percent%u201d might participate. %u201cThat's what I object to, three percent will be represented adequately%u201d she says and adds %u201c it will be easy for anybody to control it%u201d party officials,, anybody who is sure to get out a number of people on the day the caucus is held. %u201c Whoever hires the buses will win,%u201d Bockman sighs. The turnout in a primary, though low, is still expected to be ten times as large and in a Presidential election year with a hot race, might reach 40 percent of the electorate.Renting buses might not even be enough to get a good turnout: in some cases a ferry might be more appropriate. The State Party rules require that the caucus be held in a %u201c centrally located site%u201d in each Congressional district. But as Bockman put it, her home district the 17th Congressional District takes in both lower Manhattan and Staten Island. Bockman says she has talked to the Staten Island County Leader about what would be central to everyone, but %u201c we can%u2019t think of anything except the Staten Island Ferry.%u201dSo it is with the 10th Congressional District, half in the Bronx and Queens; and the 20th Congressional District, split between Manhattan and the Bronx. But even in districts that do not span a water way there will be problems with transportation and cries of favoritism toward ethnic, religious, racial, or political groups no matter what the designated site. The 14th Congressional District encompasses an area that stretches from affluent and mostly white Brooklyn Heights through Williamsburg, Fort Greene, Clinton HilllContinued on Page 9COME ONE! COME ALL!Diocesan Church of Sf. Annand the Holy TrinityClinton and Montague StreetsChristmas Eve, Dec. 24,10:30 p.m.Music for Brass and Organ11:00 p.m. Procession andFestival EucharistChristmas Day, Dec. 2511:00 a.m.Holy Eucharist with HymnsBrownsfoners-Save 50% -D o It Yourself#JUC Y O U R O W N !IT S EASYW ell sell you the tongue & groove oak flooring (cheap)* Rent youthe tools (also cheap)*And show you how to put down abeautiful oak floor (free).Don%u2019t delay-A price increase from our mill is expected shortly.636-9823 AnytimeCeid n e y 'sCome Visit Our SpecialChristmas ShopFOOD BASKET398 ATLANTIC AVENUE(NEAR BOND)The Boerum Hill Shop featuring: pate, cheeses, salads, breads, pastries, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, teas and coffees, caviar, gift items, stocking stuffers,A n d m n r pP.S. 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