The Secretary of State of Arkansas has ruled that a group may circulate a petition to qualify a new party, at any time. However, the petition must be completed within 150 days, or approximately 5 months.
Formerly, the petition to create a new party could only be circulated in an odd year, between January and May.
It is an advantage that a group can circulate the petition to qualify as a party during an odd year, because paid petitioners charge much less money during odd years, because there isn’t as much work for them to do.
No group has ever qualified as a party by petition in Arkansas, except the Reform Party in 1996. Before 1971 Arkansas didn’t require a petition; a group merely applied, and gained status as a party by that simple request.
There is still as dispute as to how many signatures are needed to qualify a new party in Arkansas. In 1996 a federal court ruled that the number needed for a new party cannot exceed 10,000 (which is the number needed for a non-presidential statewide independent). Even though the state didn’t appeal this decision, the state claims that it need not obey the court ruling.
Throw some of that ballot access reform our way sugar! We need it badly here in the Heart of Dixie(State of Alabama). Our state ranks 50th in terms of ballot access. I am currently gathering signatures so as to help obtain ballot access for the Libertarian Party of Alabama. Independents and third partys must gather between 40,000 and 60,000 signatures in order to have their candidates names printed on the ballot. That amounts to 20% of the electorate in my home state. It is rediculus to call this country a democratic republic when ballot access reform is in such short supply.
Um, I beg to differ, Mr. Price. In Oklahoma, a party would need to gather over 73,000 signatures to get on the ballot in 2006. We’ll claim the status of worst ballot access in the nation. But, Alabama certainly does need reform too.