Hawaii has a very unusual law for determining how a party remains on the ballot. If the party has been on for 3 elections in a row, then it is automatically qualified for the next 5 elections. But after the “free” 5 elections are up (unless it had polled 10% for a statewide office or either US House seat, or 4% for half the races in either house of the legislature, or 2% for half of the legislative races in both houses), then it goes off the ballot.
The Green Party’s 5 “free” elections are up, so the party must submit 663 signatures to re-qualify for 2008. If the party doesn’t meet the vote test in 2008 or 2010, it will probably need similar petitions in 2010 and 2012. Then it will again qualify automatically for 2014 through 2022.
Hawaii sure does have complex rules for maintaining ballot access. They remind of the rules for that card game, in the Chicago gangster episode of “Star Trek.”
We have gotten the Constitution Party on the ballot here in Hawaii once. It only takes 663 valid signatures to get on the ballot. Any party that can’t get that many signatures probably doesn’t belong on the ballot and certainly can’t influence an election. We are in the process of building a party that will qualify on the voting percentages, but should we not, we will be able to get the necessary signatures.
I think this is better that needing thousands of signatures or allowing any few people who want to start a party to get that party on the ballot. Independent candidates are allowed on the ballot, so small groups can be represented. All in all, I think we have it better in Hawaii than in many other states. We just need to get the work done.