Victor Russell Tarbet Neves, August 25, 1965 (Salt Lake City, Utah) -
VP candidate for Unaffiliated (aka Non Affiliated) (2016)
Running mate with nominee: Jamin Lee Burton (b. 1980)
Popular vote: 1 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Jamin Burton posted the following entry on Facebook, May 20, 2016--
It is only half tongue in cheek (because I'm really going to do it) that I announce my candidacy for president of the United State of America. I can't vote for any of the people currently running, but want to vote. I need someone I trust to act with integrity, and a conscience. It also helps that I will not be on trial for a felony by November. Victor Neves agreed to be my running mate. We are running as unaffiliated and our platform includes basic decency towards other humans, government that helps people within the bounds of the Constitution, and telling the truth. I'm writing myself in, not out of disrespect for the lives that guaranteed us our freedom and the right to vote; rather, because I can't in good conscience exercise that right to vote for any candidate remaining.
Do we have a chance of winning. Not by any level of miracle that exists do I think we will win, but I will be able to sleep at night and will never have to admit that I voted for either of the power hungry, corrupt, dishonest individuals that are left in this race.
Burton, a piano tuner and high school band teacher in Wasilla, Alaska, created a campaign Facebook page that unfortunately no longer exists. On his personal site he presented what could be considered a political platform, Sept. 4, 2016--
I wrote the following op-ed with the intent of submitting it to papers; however, I discovered that it is about twice the allowed length for any newspapers I'm interested in submitting to, so. . . . Facebook wins. Feel free to criticize, discuss, and share.....or if you are more inclined you can delete it or ignore it.
What Politics Should be About
At its most basic, politics is the utilization of power to influence the governance of a group of individuals. Much has been written about politics, what it should be and what it should not be, what politicians can and cannot accomplish, what should or should not be done. In the United States we elect people from among us to represent us and to serve in government. We vote for both the person and the vision that they embody. Or at least that is how it should be. There are five parts of this system that have all but ceased to be reality in the United States. This notion is in danger of being left by the wayside in American politics. Too many people have been sold lies and stories for so long, that the system no longer resembles what was intended by our founding fathers, what it once was, nor what it should be. It is not too late to create a revolution in politics that fundamentally changes the workings of government in America. The five concepts that need to be resurrected are: we, people, represent, serve, and vision.
WE, as in “We the people”. The citizens of the United States are entrusted with the future of our nation. We have been born into a society and time that knows no parallel in human history. We are born with freedom, opportunity, and technology that is astounding. We are also born with responsibility. If we don’t pay attention to the governance of our country, than we will certainly lose that responsibility and the freedoms that it provides. How many of us vote? The numbers are staggeringly low. Of those that vote, how many of us “hold our nose” while we vote for the “lesser of two evils”? WE. We the people must be involved. We must know what our government is doing. We must know who the people are that constitute our government. We must educate ourselves to understand the world we live in, and the impact that government has on our lives and the lives of others around the world. Then we must put this into action by making our opinions known, living according to our belief, and voting. It is important to recognize that this power of “we” is a threat to those who see government as a means to personal power. Our opportunity to vote is being curtailed whenever possible. We vote for ballot initiatives. We vote for the retention of judges. We vote for bonds. We vote for people.
PEOPLE. Our votes do matter. We are the ones that elect people. That means we, as a nation, bear the responsibility for what and who our representatives are. Each time we vote, we are voting for a person. Too many times we are sold the lie that we have to vote for a platform, potential appointee, a party, or a single issue when really we are voting for a person. The people we elect matter. Do they have integrity? If they don’t and we vote for them, then do we have integrity? Do they understand the issues and ramifications of the issues? Do they defend the Constitution and champion the needs of the people (It is possible to do both, despite what our two party system says). If they don’t and we vote for them anyway, do we deserve to have well reasoned laws? Do they have compassion? If they don’t and we vote for them anyway, we will not have a compassionate system of governance.
REPRESENT. We have a government that represents those who vote. Too many people vote for a party, or vote out of fear of who the “other” side will nominate as a judge, or view electing a representative as a referendum on some existing or proposed law. As a society and as a government we cannot endure ignorant voting or apathetic non-voting. It may be painful and it may take time to correct things with in the system, but we can withstand that. What we cannot withstand is a government that doesn’t represent us. Who paid for a candidates advertisements? What connections do they have? What concessions to party have they made over principle? Are they career politicians or are they working people from the community? Those in power may claim that these questions are naive and that you must vote for or against a person based on their party or commitments. In fact, they will make these claims, because it helps them maintain power and control. As long we continue to believe them, they are right. Remember, you are voting for one person. Every circle you fill out or click on is a single vote for a person. All of us are fallible. Every politician will make mistakes. This truth makes it even more important that the person you are filling out the bubble for really represents you by their character and vision? Our government truly does represent us (or at least those of us who vote), and we are responsible for who is in office and what they are doing with that power. The government truly reflects society. If we want a government that serves the people, we have to be worthy of having one. We need to serve each other and only vote for those willing to serve the people.
SERVE. The government is supposed to serve the people and the common interests of the people. Many times as a society we disagree about things. The beauty of our system of government is that we can change. People and organizations frequently and rightfully work to persuade us to make change. We are a better country and society for that. It takes time, patience, and hard work to implement change and that is a good thing. It provides temperance and restraint and forces reflection and self-examination before change occurs.
If the government lives to serve us then it should do what we want it to do. If it doesn’t, we can vote for new representatives. Too frequently the people elected to represent us are more interested in retaining power, making money, and peddling influence than in really serving us.. They should be rolling up their sleeves, often literally, in their communities to make things work. Fix that bike trail. Donate to the new community center. Read books to students learning to read. Share talents in whatever field they have experience in. Be with people young and old, healthy and sick. They should be the example of service.
Leadership that is tainted with hypocrisy is never effective. When laws benefit a lobby group, friends, campaign contributors, or politicians themselves, our system of governance starts to rot from within. The people begin to be compelled to serve the government in opposition to the design of government. Service requires action. It requires sacrifice. It requires vision.
VISION. Leadership has always been about vision. Uniting people to work for common goals is not always easy. America is a diverse. We have different backgrounds, values, religions, cultures, races, genders, ages, ethics, and expectations. Finding majority agreement is hard to do in small groups. Forging a majority in a population of 300 million+ people is remarkably difficult and can be done in a few ways. Compulsion, manipulation, and fear are the tools of tyrants. Eliminating options (see this year’s Presidential candidates) so people buy into the erroneous idea that there are only two choices and they have to choose one side or the other is the oppression of the two party system. Finding solutions that are truly creative and representative of the needs and goals of us all is the ideal that ethical government servants should adopt. The issues debated at a national level are complex. There are diverse possibilities and dangers that require listening, expertise, compromise, and understanding. Agreeing on a desired result is difficult. Competing philosophies on how to achieve the result further complicate things. How does a leader effectively combine these ideals and put them to work?
A leader must love his constituents. There are many four letter words bandied about in modern political discourse. The one that offers the most hope is probably the one least heard. LOVE. Genuine and sincere caring, compassion, concern, empathy, and love would change the course of political discourse. We all have someone we love that disagrees with us about political ideas and when that love is stronger than the disagreement we find ways to compromise or agree to disagree. We are honest with those we love. We serve those we love. We sacrifice for those we love. We provide for the needs and for the future of those we love. We care for those we love and we respect their opinions. We faithfully represent the people we love and protect their rights and freedom.
Some will argue that this is too simple, too idealistic, dangerous. Our present course is more dangerous. The vision represented by love, integrity, and service is the counter culture to current politics. We the people, must take an interest in our government. We must vote for people that represent us. We must serve each other and expect the government to do the same while representing our interests. We must have a shared vision that isn’t afraid to love.
Victor Neves, Burton's running-mate, was also a band teacher and colleague. Neves lived in Utah, where the two apparently originally knew each other. The ticket was noteworthy for being a 100% LDS team and in many ways anticipated Evan McMullin's later entry into the race.
Burton/Neves were registered write-ins in Alaska (which does not report write-in vote tallies in a categorical way), and Utah.
Election history: none
Other occupations: music/band educator, LDS missionary
Notes:
Neve was registered as a Republican.
Tuba player.
Served his LDS mission in France in the 1980s.
Burton was the first baby born in central Utah in 1980.
