Virginia elects all 100 members of its State House on November 3, 2009. The petition deadline for independent candidates, and for the nominees of unqualified parties, was June 9. It appears that the Independent Green Party will have about a dozen candidates, and the Libertarian Party will have one, and the Green Party will have one or two, and the Constitution Party will have one. As far as is known, no other minor parties are running any candidates. The exact list of candidates won’t be available from the State Board of Elections until July 1. Candidates file in their home city or county so the State Board still doesn’t know who has filed.
Well, it often takes a while for the board of elections to certify petition signature numbers, so just because x number of candidates filed doesn’t mean x number will be on the ballot. They’re notoriously inconsistent in timing – sometimes minor party candidates known a week after the deadline if they’re on the ballot, sometimes they don’t know till July 1st. It’s interesting to note that there are many one on one independent/third party matchups against a major party or incumbent candidate, including the Green/Democratic contest for Al Eisenburg’s old seat and Constitution/Independent contest in the 19th district (there are actually two Constitution Party candidates for delegate this year, other one is in the 85th).
I am the LP candidate for HOD in the 39th district. Support for the campaign thus far has been overwhelming. I have every reason to believe that we will have a great showing on election day. Of course, we can’t do anything without support from you. Please go to our website (by clicking on my name above) and sign up for email updates, become a volunteer, or make a donation. With your help, we can break the stranglehold of the major parties on VA politics. Your support is very much appreciated.