Michigan independent gubernatorial candidate Todd Schleiger is already campaigning, even though the election is not until November 2018. See this story.
Michigan has never had an independent candidate for Governor on a government-printed ballot. The only other states for which that statement is also true are Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, and North Carolina. Schleiger will need 30,000 signatures, and he can only collect them in a six-month window of his choice.
One reason Michigan has never had a independent candidate for Governor on the ballot is that the state had no statutory procedures for independent candidates until 1988. Another reason is that the petition is as difficult as it is.
If Schleiger gets on the ballot, his campaign will be helped if the straight-ticket device is gone by 2018. The legislature repealed it in late 2015 but a court restored it on the 2016 ballot because the judge believed the straight-ticket device repeal injures black voters. The case is still pending in U.S. District Court, and the state recently filed its answer.
The argument that the straight ticket device injures black voters is the pinnacle of insulting. Either you are saying that people of African descent are too stupid/lay to vote using the device, or you are arguing that you purposefully allocate fewer resources/voting booths to predominately black districts and you need the devices to handle the number of voters. Either way it’s disgusting.
There are a few other candidates already active — and not just duopolists, though Schlieger is the only independent (or NPA = No Party Affiliation) candidate listed here:
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/politics/michigan-politics/at-least-six-candidates-running-for-michigan-governor/393470411
Did he run once before? His name sound familiar.
As a dedicated independent and 3rd party voter, I am not a fan of the straight-ticket device.
I am the Todd Schleiger for Governor 2018 Campaign Strategist and I am proud to report that Todd will be on the ballot for the election on Tuesday, November 6th. First, he filed 32,000 signatures, which were rejected by the State. Second time around, he filed 36,000 signatures, which the State of Michigan, once again, rejected. So, he will be on the ballot under the US Taxpayers Party and will likely receive the endorsement of the Modern Whig Party and the Natural Law Party in short order. Todd is still an Independent, but now a coalition of minor parties are uniting around his campaign to take on the two party system. I urge you to visit http://www.schleigerforgovernor2018.com and YouTube his WOOD TVs To The Point televised interview. Thank you.