Great question, glad you asked.

What happens if there is no one who represents your values running in your district by the time the filing date arrives?  Then you can at least be on the ballot to represent the point of view YOU enjoy. YOU can influence the talking points, the stated agenda, and the conversation held with regard to conservative views.  No longer can the milquetoast views of pandering politicos be the only meme of the day from the filing date on.  The mushy moderates we see too often can be forced to acknowledge conservatism until at least August 7!

That is THREE Months of the RIGHT kind of messaging!

Think of the naturally conservative issues being ignored right now in favor of environmental extremism, the DRIC, the EDC payola, ignoring Right-To-Work, and so many others.  By golly we need to have our folks talking about OUR things when they are in office.

Fact is, if you look at the presidential race, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have caused Mittens to keep the elephant on the shake-away screen for a lot longer than it would have been.  Who knows?  Perhaps even Mittens might internalize some of that crazy right wing rhetoric we like to pass amongst ourselves? Makes me like Newt and Rick even more.

Think of it as insurance.

Think of it as a way to keep OUR issues on the forefront. A measly $100, that nearly anyone can afford without too much trouble, and in the right circumstance, could get them a great job with a nice benny package for a couple years.  But truly, as insurance, it provides a fallback in the event of scandal, change in paradigm, or just as an answer to stupidity on the house floor by incumbents who think they are worth re-electing.

This is not to say all (or even a great number) of those incumbents are deserving of replacement, but as we have seen, even folks on high ground have been known to build an ark .. just in case.

Anyhow it is seriously EASY!

Office qualifications: To be eligible for the office of State Representative a person must be a citizen of the United States, at least 21 years of age and a registered and qualified elector of the district he or she wishes to represent by the filing deadline. (Art. IV, Sec. 7, of State Constitution; MCL 168.161)

Filing requirements for candidates seeking the Republican Party or Democratic Party nomination: A candidate who wishes to seek the Republican Party or Democratic Party nomination to the office of State Representative must file an Affidavit of Identity and a partisan nominating petition bearing a minimum of 200 valid signatures no later than 4:00 p.m. on May 15, 2012. Up to 400 signatures can be filed to cover the minimum signature requirement. A $100.00 filing fee may be submitted in lieu of a petition.

There are some districts that require filing a little differently:

Filing official: A candidate who seeks the office of State Representative in a multi-county
district must file with the following office:

Michigan Department of State
Bureau of Elections
Richard H. Austin Building - 1st Floor
430 West Allegan
Lansing, Michigan 48918
Phone: (517) 373-2540
Fax: (517) 373-0941
Email: elections@michigan.gov

The multi-county State House Districts are listed below:
17 32 51 58 59 63 65 66 70 72
78 83 84 85 86 87 93 97 98 99
100 101 102 103 105 106 107 108 109 110

Still a piece of cake.

Folks, the bottom line is we have a lot of good representatives.  But the laws of chance place a number of not so brilliant (or conservative ) legislators along with them.  An opportunity for the voters to have a more representative choice in the primary, even if only from a $100 filing and paper candidacy would send a message.

$100.  A day's wage for the average Joe.  Pick a party, and deliver the conservative goods.  Give the voters a real choice.