Four incumbent state legislators who are not Democratic or Republican nominees are virtually certain to be re-elected next month, because no opponent to them is on the ballot.
Rusty Kidd, Georgia’s only independent state legislator, has no opponents. He didn’t need to submit a petition signed by 5% of the registered voters because Georgia law exempts independent and minor party incumbents from petitioning.
In Vermont, three Progressive Party legislators running for re-election have no opponent. They are Christopher Pearson in the Chittenden 6-4 district, Mollie Burke in the Windham 2-2 district, and Sandy Haas in the Windsor-Rutland district. The Chittenden 6-4 district elects two members and the only two candidates are Pearson and a Democrat.
So, in Georgia, if you are incumbent Independent or 3rd partisan office-holder, you don’t have to petition to run for re-election, but you have to petition to get on the ballot simply as a first time candidate.
I guess there is some sense to this.
Richard, did he have to pay some kind of filing fee – like Democrats and Republicans did? If he didn’t, why are the Dems & Reps crying “foul play?”
I just checked on the internet and read that Representative Kidd is paralyzed from below the neck down. How hard it must be to live like that. And we think we have problems. Makes me a little more thankful for the health I do have.
My hat is off to Representative Kidd for his courage!!
The problem with Georgia is that 5% of registered voters threshold, where I live in Cherokee Libertarian running for state house-21 had to get 1600+ sigs TEA Party Ind. running for Co Comm. had to get over 5700 sigs
DonW:
Why did the TEA Party Ind. running for County Commissioner have to get 5700 signatures, whereas the Libertarian candidate for a state house seat had to obtain only 1600 plus? Obviously, the TEA Party Ind. was running in a heavily populated county – and not Cherokee County, as this county does not come to mind as being a heavily populated county.