In five states this year, one ballot-qualified minor party will lose its status as a qualified party because that party is not running any statewide nominees, or it is not running for the only statewide office that affects qualified status.
In North Dakota, a party remains ballot-qualified if it polls 5% for Secretary of State. The Libertarian Party, the only ballot-qualified party other than the two major parties, is running for three statewide offices, but not Secretary of State. The party had chosen a candidate for Secretary of State but he failed to file for the party’s primary, even though he needed no petition and no filing fee.
In South Dakota, a party remains ballot-qualified if it polls 2.5% for Governor. The Constitution Party, the only ballot-qualified party other than the two major parties, has a nominee for Secretary of State, but not Governor. The petition for a gubernatorial candidate to get on the party’s primary ballot, which can only be signed by registered members of that party, requires 250 signatures, and the party only had about 325 registered members and was unable to complete the petition. No primary petition was needed for Secretary of State.
In Wisconsin, a party remains ballot-qualified if it polls 1% for any statewide office. No candidate gathered the needed 2,000 signatures to appear on the Green Party’s primary ballot for any statewide office. The Green Party has a very strong nominee for the state legislature, and it would be ironic if that candidate, Ben Manski, were elected, while at the same time his party loses its qualified status.
In Montana, a party remains ballot-qualified if it polls 5% of the winning candidate’s vote for any statewide race at either of the last two elections. The Constitution Party did not poll enough votes to meet this test in 2008, and in 2010, its “second chance” election, it is not running for either of the statewide offices, so it will go off the ballot. Primary candidates don’t need any petition in Montana; they just need to pay a filing fee.
In Massachusetts, a party remains ballot-qualified if it polls 3% for any statewide race. The Libertarian Party is the only ballot-qualified party other than the two major parties. No candidate qualified to appear on the Libertarian Party primary ballot, because primary petitions are so difficult. They require 10,000 signatures for some statewide offices and 5,000 signatures for other, less important, statewide offices. Only registered members of that party, and registered independents, may sign.
Separate is still NOT equal — in ALL States ALL the time.
Brown v. Bd of Ed 1954
What genius ballot access lawyers have ever read Brown since 1954 ???
Pennsylvania has also outlawed all it’s opposition parties.
A number of lower tier candidates (state senate and assembly and congress) running on minor party and independent lines were not challenged. PA Election Law allows for a minor party to qualify as a county party if one of their candidates receives 5% of the highest vote getter in that county. Although the counting method the state uses is convoluted I qualified the Reform Party in three counties in 2002 with my congressional run. The state claims the qualification is only good for one election cycle. The Libertarian candidate in the 5th Congressional District could be the most interesting in that CD5 is the largest district geographically containing well over a dozen whole counties.
Good riddance to the ‘Montana CP’, that joke of a state party deserves to lose ballot access, IMO.
Hopefully a better and more competent state affiliate there can rise up and take its place on the ballot.
“In North Dakota, a party remains ballot-qualified if it polls 5% for Secretary of State. The Libertarian Party, the only ballot-qualified party other than the two major parties, is running for three statewide offices, but not Secretary of State. The party had chosen a candidate for Secretary of State but he failed to file for the party’s primary, even though he needed no petition and no filing fee.”
Wow, this is a monumental screw up.