Taylor Praises Mollis for Change of Position on Master Lever
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Republican candidate for Secretary of State Catherine Taylor praised Democratic incumbent Ralph Mollis for changing his position on the “master lever” but called on him to redesign the ballot before the November election.
“I am ecstatic that after four years of endorsing the master lever, Secretary Mollis has finally paid attention to the numerous voices shouting for its repeal,” Taylor said after Mollis’s Thursday afternoon appearance on the Buddy Cianci Show. “It is gratifying to see that the appeals of twenty-three cities and towns, the two other candidates for Secretary of State, the Board of Elections, and Governor Carcieri finally made an impression on Mr. Mollis.”
As recently as July 27, Taylor said that Mollis had publicly supported keeping the master lever. She said she had opposed it in her nomination acceptance speech at the state GOP convention on June 30 and had outlined her plan to minimize its effects on July 26. It wasn’t until a July 29 interview of 630 WPRO, she said, that Mollis changed his mind, saying his “position had evolved” and that he would like the master lever “removed.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe “master lever” is the practice of voting for all the candidates from one party by checking off a box on the ballot. On Wednesday, Cool Moose Party candidate for lieutenant governor Bob Healey filed a federal lawsuit claiming that straight-party ticket voting was unconstitutional and should be ended.
But in the meantime, Taylor said Mollis could begin reform now. She called on him to move the master lever from the top to the bottom of the ballot, so that voters have to read through the whole ballot before casting their vote. She said he should also include a disclaimer telling voters that pulling the master lever will not count their votes for local non-partisan races or ballot questions.
“If Mr. Mollis truly believes that the master lever should be abolished, he will make these changes before the General Election on November 2,” Taylor said. “If he does not act, the voters will know what he stands for when they look at their ballot in the voting booth.”
But Mollis prefers to wait until the lawsuit is resolved. “Although I appreciate her praise, this is now a legal issue,” Mollis said. “Until the matter is decided in court, it is premature to discuss what form the ballot might take in November.”
If elected, Taylor said she would press for legislation to abolish the master lever in the next legislative session.
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