SALEM, Ore. – Starting Monday, Oregon voters have another party to choose from when they sign up to vote. But as Salem correspondent Chris Lehman reports, the group that formed the Americans Elect party is no longer trying to field a candidate.
Americans Elect was a national effort to drum up support for a non-partisan presidential candidate. Organizers insist the group isn't a political party. But to make onto the ballot in Oregon it had to formally register as a party by using a signature drive.
The state granted Americans Elect ballot access last month. But just one week later the group ended its plans to field a candidate, citing a lack of grassroots support.
Nonetheless, Oregon voters can now declare themselves a member of the Americans Elect party. It's one of nine parties listed on the registration card.
The group did file bylaws to formalize its position as a political party in Oregon. But it has taken no steps to field any candidates in the state aside from its now-abandoned search for a presidential contender.
On the Web:
Americans Elect: http://www.americanselect.org/
Oregon voter registration: http://oregonvotes.org/pages/voterresources/regtovote/index.html
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
