McVicker/RNC gaffe: Richards calls for accountability

The Republican National Committee was caught off guard last night Australia time. Departing president and expectant new deputy leader of the LRP TJ Norton claimed the RNC's rebuff of presidential candidate Dennis McVicker's membership in the party as a 'farce'.

The Liberal Republican Party's chairman of the justice and public law reform committee Todd Richards has called on RNC leader jp9893 to fess up.

"It's not possible that the RNC leader did not know Mr. McVicker was a member. He has been a member for a period of time", Mr Richards said.

Mr Norton said McVicker's membership wasn't news but was shocked by party officials working in the conservative press would publish that they didn't have an member in the presidential race.

"The RNC has maintained right up until they were forced into damage control yesterday that they didn't have a candidate in the race. Whether they were endorsed or not is not the issue - this isn't legal camp or a play of words it was a flat out distortion bordering on a lie".

Mr Norton has joined the LRP committee's call for accountability in the election process by displaying the political affiliation of all candidates on the electronic ballot paper.

"This used to happen on the old site. I welcome the Administrator's update that voters will also be marked off in a way that de-identifies the candidate they voted for on the new site's facility .. but it's only a half measure of transparency without displaying political party identification", said Norton.

"The people of Titulia vote in a variety of ways - including for a candidate's political affiliation. Not every candidate, campaign and media outlet - with all due respect - has done this".

Mr Norton has informed the Express that the Administrator provided this on the old site since the first election of the Republic.

".. it is a large part of Republic culture. It's not fullproof to the detection of electoral standings behind the scenes but at least will continue to give some indication of how candidates group".

Committee chair Richards has pursued the need for the return of this facility.

"I was a citizen when this was provided. If Admin put this in place themselves, there is no legal reason to prevent them from doing so again without further legislation", he said.

The Express asked Mr Norton whether he believed mandatory party identification in a contest could be compared to Nazi era nationalism of political declaration.

"What you're talking about is the persecution of political parties by forbidding them access to the same political rights and contests as other parties. I agree that's something that Titulia does not support and we're safe from those kinds of practices", he said.

Mr Norton said the Constitution of the Republic guarantees that all citizens have the right to join a political party and the rules that govern membership specifically are purposely not spoken to in the Constitution.

"I think the Administrator showed a lot of wisdom there", he said. "No political party would be satisfied with every citizen being a member for whatever reason and the Republic has no business mandating that - that's up to the individual parties to decide. This is not what we're advocating", he said.

"What is understood in the electoral process, and I think this is carried with cross-partisan consensus, is that every detail in a candidate's Titulian life is subject to scrutiny - whether the candidates appreciate that or not is out of the scope of law".

"I personally don't agree that such access should be in the form of disclosing personal details but since the Administrator has recently ordered that as forbidden practice in future instances - I don't see it becoming a widespread problem. That is to say .. if violators value their continued citizenship. Everyone is entitled to keep their personal and virtual lives separate. If they wish to disclose outside information in the Republic - that's on them".

Summarising the initiative, Norton called for 'transparency' in the elections process.

"The start, middle and finish of the push is situated with a traditional lodgement of a nomination. Please name me one country, state or local race in an industrialised nation where a candidate does not have to disclose their political candidature - party, endorsement or independence?", he said.

"Through their own words or election material, none of the candidates in this month's race bar Secretary Buchanan have formally declared party membership"

"Despite the force of law - Secretary Buchanan has been the only candidate who has declared their Vice President during the nomination period. Reformer and I made that error last election but luckily the special prosecutor investigating those range of issues was merciful because it was the first election on the new site and we had an inactive predecessor. It's hard to argue that allowance should be made now after the lesson to the parties from last month's experience".

"Whatever I .. they .. them or other people individually think about this is an important, yet incomplete part of the larger look at the issue - Titulians on a whole want more accountability and transparency in the political process".

First round voting will conclude within the next 8 hours.