The Casper, Wyoming Star-Tribune has this article about Wyoming’s restrictive ballot access laws. The article focuses on the plight of the Country Party, which went off the ballot even though it polled 2.5% for U.S. Senate. The vote test for a party to remain ballot-qualified is 2%, but in presidential years, the only office that counts is the U.S. House race, and the Country Party did not poll as much as 2% for that office.
The article is generally accurate and sympathetic. However, it is in error when it says Montana requires a petition of 5% of the last vote cast. Instead, Montana requires 5,000 signatures for a newly-qualifying party, which is fewer signatures that Wyoming requires for 2014; furthermore Montana has almost twice Wyoming’s population. Also the article’s mention of Louisiana is misleading. Louisiana does not keep congressional or presidential candidates off the November ballot. Louisiana has no primaries and holds its general elections in November (for federal office).
Perhaps the Country Party supporters could find a home in either the Libertarian Party (from which many if not most of them came) or the Constitution Party.
CB – not gonna happen. We have no interest in open borders, legalized meth, zygote personhood or a Christian theocracy.
But in Montana to retain ballot access it’s 5% of the previous governor’s total for any statewide office. The petition part is wrong as you mentioned.
Don Wills- I see your point. Your party is somewhere in between the Libertarians and the Constitutionalists it would seem. It is just a shame that there can’t seem to be a united front against the Demorepulicrats. Until there is they will continue to win elections and drag the whole country down. Good luck to you.
#3, no, the vote test is 5% of the winner’s vote. See 13-10-601. In effect it is about 2.8% of the total vote, on the average.
The reporter has corrected the factual errors in the article.