An independent candidate in Georgia, Eugene Moon, is launching an attempt to get on the ballot for U.S. House in 2010, in the 9th district. Here is his web page. The web page notes that the legal requirement is over 21,000 valid signatures, plus he must pay a filing fee of over $6,000. As noted many times previously on this blog, no one has completed the Georgia petition for that office since 1964. No candidate in history, in any state, has ever overcome a petition hurdle for that office in excess of 12,919 signatures, if the signatures were checked.
The Georgia 9th district is in the northwest part of the state. No incumbent is running in that district this year. The current incumbent is leaving Congress so as to run for Governor.
When a candidate did succeed in 1964 in Georgia with this type of petition, the number required was 6,500 signatures. Back then, the Georgia petitions were due in October of the election year and they were not checked for validity. The candidate who successfully petitioned in Georgia in 1964 was Milton Lent, an independent.
Well, the U.S.S.C. has (1) upheld the Georgia law or (2) refused to hear challenges to the law in question, so I don’t think that lawsuits will work here.
The likely solution will be to create a broad based coalition of Georgia residents — major party, minor party and Independents — behind ballot access law reform.
I am more optimistic that a lawsuit will work. In 1985 the 11th circuit said in Bergland v Harris that the US Supreme Court decision in 1971, Jenness v Fortson, doesn’t necessarily mean all Georgia ballot access laws are necessarily constitutional. The 11th circuit remanded the case back for more evidence-gathering. That’s why the Georgia legislature in 1986 eased the statewide petition and created the 1% vote test for a party to be automatically on for statewide office.
As noted many times —
Separate is NOT equal.
Each election is NEW and has ZERO to do with any prior election.
Difficult ONLY for MORON lawyers and the worse MORON Supremes.