John Hartman attempted to be an independent candidate for US House in Illinois in the past. He worked very hard to collect the needed 14,000 signatures, but he fell short. Consequently, he is very motivated to influence the Illinois legislature to pass a ballot access reform bill to ease the US House requirement. He is actively lobbying in Springfield, urging legislators to amend HB 632. Specifically, he wants them to lower the 5% petition for district office to something easier. He is cautiously optimistic. Anyone in Illinois who wants to help him should do so. His e-mail is jhartman56@hotmail.com.
I am indebted to Richard for his research on ballot access. Though I have been an independent voter for 25 years, I tried to provide leadership by forming a new political party called the Growth Forum. The existing Illinois law for congressional
ballot access is beyond practical reach: my 2006 attempt required 15,957 signatures.
Because I believe change can come from people standing up for what they believe in, I want independents and new parties to have a fair chance.
I have not decided about running again.