This article in the Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction, Colorado, says the Constitution Party has suffered from being a qualified major party. The party is a major party because it polled over 10% of the vote for Governor in 2010. However, according to the article, the party would have been better off if it had remained a qualified minor party. Major parties must file many complicated campaign finance reports. The party’s reports have had errors and omissions, or have been late, so the party has been repeatedly fined, and now has a negative bank balance.
Qualified minor parties in Colorado generally nominate by convention and need not petition for ballot access for their nominees.
So they can’t play with the big boys. Would most small parties love to have this chance at becoming a major party?
Petition? I thought you only needed to pay a filing fee in CO?
Campaign finance reporting is a major ballot access issue. It can be as big an obstacle to participation as petitioning or other issues.
We’ve learned that first-hand in Texas, where some candidates are scared to run because of the difficulty dealing with campaign finance reporting. (In Texas candidates must file a multiple forms even if they spend $0 on their campaign.)
Red tape is an effective way to drive out competition.
Jed, the provision in Colorado for getting on the ballot with no petition and just a fee only relates to presidential candidates.
I guess so but it depends on what you mean when you say “major party.” In CO, legally being a “major party” means more glorious paperwork and that your party reached a good percentage of the vote in an election (thus more recognition among voters).
Oh, okay.
Each election is NEW.
ALL robot party hacks in parties are equall.
Much too difficult for the MORONS in the courts to understand.
Most of the 50 states probably have a different meaning for being a major party. In states like Montana being a major party simply means getting 5% of the governor’s vote and if you have enough candidates your party can have a primary. In Colorado if you do become a major party, it would seem that there are successes that brought you to that point. Let’s just hope its more then once. We know 3rd parties never have enough money and manpower.