New Hampshire Representative Joel Winters (D-Manchester) has introduced a bill to make it easier for unqualified political parties to get on the ballot. Existing law requires a group that wishes to be a qualified party to submit a petition of 3% of the last gubernatorial vote, which would be 20,394 valid signatures for 2010. This procedure has existed since 1996, but it is so difficult, it was only used once, in 2000, and back then it only required 9,827 valid signatures.

Winters’ bill would lower the petition to exactly 3,000 signatures. It happens that 3,000 is the existing petition requirement for statewide independent candidates. Even that petition is tough. For example, the Green Party has never placed a statewide candidate on the ballot in New Hampshire in its entire history, except in 2000.

Currently, New Hampshire is the only New England state with no ballot-qualified parties other than the Democratic and Republican Parties.