Georgia is holding 236 legislative elections next month: 56 state senate races and 180 state house races. Only 46 of those 236 races have more than one candidate on the ballot. Yet whenever Georgia ballot access laws are challenged, the state claims its 5% petition requirement for district office is needed to prevent ballots from being too crowded.
There is only one independent on the ballot in any Georgia legislative race this year, and no minor party candidates for the legislature. Georgia hasn’t had any minor party candidates for the legislature on the ballot since 2004. Yet, generally, the big newspapers and broadcast stations in Georgia never discuss this situation.
“… the state claims its 5% petition requirement for district office is needed to prevent ballots from being too crowded.”
The state is so helpful – even with just one candidate it can be so confusing. If the state wanted to be really helpful they should just forgo elections. 😉
In all seriousness, this is very sad. I would have expected situations like this in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia not the US state of Georgia.
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Georgia is not unique in this regard. Most legislative seats in Massachusetts are unchallenged year after year.
Yes, there are many other bad states. In Massachusetts this year, only 46 of the 200 legislative races have both a Republican and a Democrat on the November ballot.
Where is that New Age Union Army/Navy to liberate the People in the Stone Age ANTI-Democracy minority rule OLIGARCHY gerrymander regimes ??? Perhaps after 8 Nov 2016 ???
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P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
Georgia has terrible election laws that hurt third parties and self financed candidates
Soviet ballots were easy to understand. No ballot clutter at all.
It seems you need third parties just to provide opposition.
Really? Even major parties have the 5 percent requirement? How long until we get an election where nobody successfully petitions? And what happens then?
Georgia does not require any signatures from Republicans or Democrats to get on a primary ballot. But they must pay a filing fee of 3% of the annual salary of the office. Minor party and independent candidates not only need a petition of 5% of the registered voters, they must also pay that filing fee.
If the filing fee were much lower, probably there would be Republicans and Democrats in practially all Georgia legislative races.
Why not adopt Top 2?
Why not adopt a system like many countries do and have the same deposit rules for all candidates but refund it if they poll above a certain amount? Serves the state’s alleged interest in keeping the “joke” candidates out, since they’re unlikely to get the deposit back, but the serious candidates, regardless of party, could run a serious campaign without having to petition, which can also be expensive in some states.