By Catherine Cuellar, KERA 90.1 Reporter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-507922.mp3
Dallas, TX –
[sound: Sons of Hermann Hall]
Catherine Cuellar, KERA reporter: Humorist Kinky Friedman started canvassing for signatures the weekend after the primary election with local stops at a Saint Patrick's Day Parade, a wine tasting room offering massage therapy, and the Sons of Hermann Hall in Deep Ellum.
Kinky Friedman: I'll sign anything but bad legislation.
Cuellar: At the Kosher Chili Cookoff in north Dallas last month, Carole Keeton Strayhorn hugged children and personally asked voters for their signatures.
Carole Keeton Strayhorn: Education, education, education
Friedman's campaign workers were also at the chili cookoff, and started their day standing by the admission gates. Strayhorn and Friedman's volunteers started moving past each other from the entrance to the parking lot in an attempt to reach prospective voters first, since eligible voters can only sign one petition per office for independent candidates. When a Friedman volunteer and Strayhorn approached a Rabbi at the same time, a bystander piped up in support of Strayhorn's management of state investments.
Voice: The lady bought 25 million dollars worth of bonds from the state of Israel. Is that important to you Rabbi?
Rabbi: Yes
Volunteer: Kinky Friedman is a Jew.
Strayhorn: You can only sign one petition
Cuellar: In order for the candidates' names to appear on the ballot, they must each collect signatures from 45,000 voters. Neither campaign will reveal how many signatures they have collected so far. But Linda Curtis, founder of Independent Texans, says both are likely to get their names on the ballot.
Linda Curtis, Independent Texans: You've got people petitioning everywhere and anywhere, and people just taking them from their websites, printing them out, getting a few signatures, getting your signature notarized and mailing them in.
Cuellar: Curtis is capitalizing on interest in Friedman and Strayhorn to raise awareness that a majority of registered voters statewide identify themselves as independents or vote a split ticket. She says that proves Texans care more about people than parties.
Curtis: We need to usher in a major structural political reforms that will unleash the millions and millions of independent voters in this state if we want any reform in any area, whether it's education or environmental issues. Let's unite, and let's clean house.
Cuellar: The Green Party is also canvassing for signatures to put Charles Waterbury on the ballot. He's running for justice of the state supreme court, opposing a Republican in a contest without a Democrat. At the Camper Scamper 5K run in Dallas' Reverchon Park, Dallas County Green co-chair Joy Glatz says their signature collection efforts were unconstitutionally thwarted.
Joy Glatz, Co-Chair, Dallas County Green Party: We were actually asked to leave this morning from this park, a city park. What the police will tell us is this is private property when someone gets a permit for the land. But when I call to verify with the city attorney, that's not true.
Cuellar: If Waterbury can get five percent of the statewide popular vote, the Greens are guaranteed ballot status in 2008. But with so many independent candidates in the race, Curtis says the major party status of the Democrats is also at risk under state law. Bill Howell, former chair of the Dallas County Democrats, isn't worried.
Bill Howell, former Democratic Chair: Yes, if any party gets less than 20% of the vote for governor they don't get to hold a tax-supported primary. But that would require the other parties to get more than 80% of the vote. That's just not going to happen.
Cuellar: But independent candidates are expected to take votes away from the major parties and increase turnout among first-time voters. The deadline for candidates to file their petitions is May 11th.
For KERA 90.1, I'm Catherine Cuellar
Editor's note: KERA reporter Sujata Dand contributed to this report.
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