Christina Tobin
American political activist (born 1981)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christina Marie Tobin (born June 17, 1981)[1] is an American activist and ballot access specialist. She is the founder and chair of the Free & Equal Elections Foundation,[2] and president and chief executive officer of Free and Equal, Inc.[3]
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June 17, 1981
- Activist
- ballot access specialist
Christina Tobin | |
|---|---|
Tobin in 2022 | |
| Born | Christina Marie Tobin June 17, 1981 Pasadena, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Saint Mary's University of Minnesota |
| Occupations |
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| Known for | Chair of the Free & Equal Elections Foundation |
| Political party | Independent |
| Parent | Jim Tobin (father) |
Background
Tobin was born in Pasadena, Texas, in 1981. Her father is political activist Jim Tobin. She grew up in Texas and Illinois and graduated from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois. She attended Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota where she served as varsity tennis captain and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. In 2004, she earned a bachelor's degree in graphic design with a minor in business marketing. As of 2024, Tobin claims to have never voted for any presidential candidate, as none had aligned enough with her personal views to earn her vote.[4]
Career and activism
Ballot access
In the 1998 election for governor of Illinois, Tobin helped defend over 60,000 signatures for her father, Libertarian candidate James Tobin.[citation needed] In 2002, she personally gathered over 5,000 signatures and successfully defended 55,000 signatures for Cal Skinner, who was running for governor, and her father, who was running for lieutenant governor representing the Libertarian Party.[5][failed verification]
In the 2004 presidential election, Tobin defended 29,000 signatures in Illinois, for Ralph Nader when he ran as an independent.[6][better source needed] She also sued Democratic State Chair Michael Madigan alleging that he used his full-time state employees to have Nader removed from the Illinois ballot.[7]
For the November 2006 election, she successfully defended 39,000 signatures for Rich Whitney, the Green Party candidate for Illinois governor.[8][failed verification]
In 2008, Tobin served as Ralph Nader's national ballot access coordinator.[9]
In 2008, Tobin founded the Free & Equal Elections Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Free & Equal hosts open gubernatorial, presidential, and senatorial debates, including 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 Presidential debates. Presidential debate moderators have included journalist Chris Hedges,[10] broadcaster Larry King,[11] political commentator Thom Hartmann,[12] and actor Ed Asner.[13]
In March 2009, Tobin founded Free and Equal, Inc., a ballot access, consulting, and petitioning firm that specializes in independent and third-party candidates.[14][failed verification][15]
Other activism
In 2011, Tobin served as Vice President of Taxpayers United of America, founded by her father James Tobin.[16]
In 2012, Tobin founded Stop Top Two,[17] an organization opposed to top two primary systems, in which a nonpartisan primary is held, and the two candidates with the highest vote totals are then entered into a runoff election.
BaliJewel Inc. lawsuit
In 2007, Tobin was president of a jewelry company that filed suited against John Hardy Limited as part of a dispute over design copyrights.[18] The case was dismissed.[19]
California Secretary of State candidacy
In 2010, Tobin ran as a Libertarian Party candidate for California Secretary of State.[20] She was the only candidate seeking the Libertarian Party nomination. Richard Winger, editor and publisher of Ballot Access News was her campaign manager. In the general election, Tobin came in fourth with 214,347 votes, or 2.3 percent of the total votes cast.[21]