END OF THE PARTY?

The sponsor of a bill to make Maine’s Legislature nonpartisan realistically doesn’t have much hope for getting the idea through the Legislature, but lawmakers ought to understand the benefits of such a system. LD 428, sponsored by Levant Rep. Chris Greeley, gives the State and Local Government Committee a chance to take a fresh look at how lawmakers do business. It couldn’t hurt and it may well help.

Nebraska is the only state with a nonpartisan Legislature (also the only state with a unicameral one, though Maine’s joint committees are a mild form of that). Towns and cities, however, commonly have nonpartisan councils, and though they have plenty of disagreements, they are less likely to draw lines based on party affiliation. There is a benefit to this, an opportunity to get work done without worrying about one political party getting the credit or the other party suffering from a lack of credit.

LD 428 would prohibit a legislative candidate from running as a member of a political party or having a party affiliation listed on the ballot. Primaries would simply choose the top two candidates, who would then compete in the general election. Candidates might not bother with a primary and just jump into a general election.

Political parties are often called brand names – a shorthand way of telling the public where generally a candidate stands. This has both benefits (voters can choose a preferred candidate based on only a slight knowledge of the candidate’s agenda) and costs (candidates who get elected by a party platform feel bound to support

it no matter what). The current system, Rep. Greeley says, is “like being on a jury and making a decision before opening arguments based on the color of the lawyer’s tie.”

The committee would do well to consider the effects of nonpartisan and partisan legislatures in Minnesota, which was nonpartisan from 1913 to 1973, then switched after a popular vote in favor of bringing back the parties. One noticeable result, according to a recent study of the switch, was a dramatic drop in the number of laws passed when partisanship returned. This may be considered either a good or bad outcome depending on whether you think the Maine Legislature needs to pass more bills.

A curious recent theory about partisanship: Voters generally do not develop political philosophies and then join a party that matches them. Quite the opposite. They join a party for what they believe that group says about them and then align their beliefs with the party, according to “Partisan Hearts and Minds,” a book by Donald Green, Bradley Palmquist and Eric Schickler.

Though lawmakers naturally have a greater interest in political philosophy, they aren’t immune from these impulses either. A review of how their partisanship affects legislation could help them more often draft bills with a broader perspective of Maine.