The Maryland Board of Elections has determined that the Green Party and Libertarian Parties have enough valid signatures. Each needed 5,000. Maryland now has six ballot-qualified parties. The others are Democratic, Republican, Working Class, and Bread & Roses.
It looks like Jo Jorgensen is going to be the only candidate besides Trump and Biden to get 50 state plus DC ballot access. Green Party and Constitution Party will have ballot access in less states than 2016 (this will be the worst ballot access ever for the CP). There won’t be any other candidate with significant ballot access. Rocky De La Fuente might get 20-25 states, or something like that, maybe less.
The lack of viable minor party and independent candidate competition that has lots of ballot access will help propel Jo Jorgensen’s vote total to higher than what it would be otherwise. I still think she will get less votes than Gary Johnson got in 2016, because the circumstances surrounding the election have changed, even though by my standards, I consider Jo Jorgensen to be a better candidate than Gary Johnson. Jorgensen is less well known than Johnson, but she is at least somebody I would call a libertarian, unlike Gary Johnson. I’d prefer Harry Browne, Michael Badnarik, and Ron Paul, over Jorgensen, but it looks like she is the best option available for this election.
Do we really think Jorgensen makes the ballot in Alabama? Not trying to be insulting, I genuinely don’t know but seem to recall the ballot access standards there being quite onerous. Virginia possibly as well.
Nice analysis, l agree with you. Gary Johnson was also invited and talked about on major networks unlike Jo Jorgensen. The Aleppo fiasco probably helped him more then it hurt him because major networks talked about it. On that occasion he had been invited by Morning Joe from MSNBC to talk about his 2020 candidacy. Now it is unthinkable for that network and others to invite Jo and Howie Hawkins over. I feel that reason for that is because many of the networks may feel that if they invite them over or talk about them, then that could help Trump get elected. Maybe l’m wrong though.
***Breaking News***
Liberty Green please see below the text l copied over from Libertarian Party:
« We’ve just received word from the Secretary of State’s Director of Elections, Clay Helms, that Jo Jorgenson and Jeremy “Spike” Cohen have met the signature requirements to be on the Alabama Ballot for November 3rd as Independent Candidates.
My most sincere gratitude goes out to all of the volunteers that braved this Alabama heat and humidity and collected petition signatures, from Mobile and Baldwin Counties to Dothan, Auburn, Birmingham, Huntsville, and all points in between. Petitioning can be a difficult job and certainly takes some people out of their comfort zones, but YOU did it! Thanks to YOU, Alabama voters have another option on their ballot this November.
A very special thanks to our Secretary, Thadeus Freed, for taking on the hat of Ballot Access Coordinator. Mr. Freed spent many hours on the phone coordinating with volunteers, arranging pick up times and driving from his home in Florence to the Secretary of State’s office in Montgomery. It’s a very stressful job, but Mr. Freed handled it like a pro.
My thanks, also, to the LNC Ballot Access Committee members, and Jo Jorgensen for POTUS campaign team for working with us towards this goal.
With this effort behind us, we can take a moment to breathe and start planning for a big push in 2022. We want to see Libertarians filling the 2022 ballot.
Congratulations, everyone! YOUR hard work got the job done.
Laura Lane
Chair »
Thank you, Charles. Yes then I think they will indeed be on the ballot in all 50 states plus DC.
Is “Charles” really Paul?
For anyone lauding the Libertarians achievements, keep in mind they accept corporate money unlike the Green Party. Clearly, this has its benefits. But at what cost?
It is illegal for corporations to give donations to federal candidates. Corporations can only make independent expenditures. When there is rhetoric about “accepting corporation donations”, that usually really means contributions from individuals who are closely connected with a corporation.
Alabama has horrible petition requirements for minor parties and independent candidates, except the Alabama law for independent presidential candidates is only 5,000 signatures. But of course that means minor parties that use that 5,000-signature requirement can’t have their party label on the ballot next to their presidential nominees.
INDIVIDUALS ARE ELECTED TO PUBLIC OFFICES —
NOT *PARTIES*.
EQUAL NOM PETS FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS.
ONE VOTER NOM PET FORMS.
The Libertarian Party does not have any big corporate donors.
Andy,
Yes, I think Charles is really Paul.
Jo has 100% ballot access and 0% of winning.
Just like Howie, Rocky, Blankenship, Kanye etc.
As soon as the election is over and we lose again,
we can start over for the 2022 election and lose again.
-Laura Lane.
I don’t understand what the problem is with corporate donations. Do corporations not pay taxes? So, why aren’t they allow to have a voice when their money is being spent? No taxation without representation.
No, corporations do not pay taxes. Their customers do. Corporations pass the burden of taxation onto the people buying their products through increased prices, because no matter what the Supreme Court says, corporations are not people.
Yes, Jo has no chance of winning, but she does have a chance at getting a pretty vote total for minor party and independent candidate standards.
Should read, “pretty good vote total” above.
One more SCOTUS perversion —
A corp deemed to be a citizen of the State in which it is created/chartered [rather than a fictional artificial person] –
in 1830s-1840s — large corps started- railroads, telegraph, etc.
See the dead 1787 USA Const, Art 3, Sec. 2
Corporations most certainly pay taxes. Who are you kidding? In some sense, everyone’s income is “pass thru” unless you live like Robinson Crusoe. Whether or not corporations are “real” persons is simply an evasion of facts that they pay real money to the state, and are truly affected by the laws of the state imposed upon them. They are most certainly entitled to the full protection of the 1st Amendment, and to an unhindered political voice.
Corporations are created by and granted special privileges by the state.
Yes, corporations are creatures of the state, but why? Because they serve real purposes and create real value for the community. If those purposes aren’t given voice, then the well being of the community is lessened.
If the government taxes your company 15 percent, and you raise prices to offset that added cost, they have paid no taxes, the customer had paid the tax. Taxation always hurts the poor and middle class, it is never injurious to the wealthy.
As far as corporations having first amendment rights, as money is not speech and corporations are not people, no they do not.
Corporations get non-consensual limited liability protection from the state. They would not exist in a libertarian society, at least nit as we know them.
SCOTUS morons at work 2010 —
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC
ALL the private corp State / inter-State stuff should ONLY be in the State courts.
All part of the ongoing destroy-the-States stuff in Devil City —
since 1861 Civil War / 1917 WW I / 1929 Great Depression I / 1941 WW II / 1950 Korean War / 2001 911 / 2008 Great Depression II / 2020 CV-19 — Great Depression III.
A corporation cannot pass the total cost of a tax to consumers if the demand for their product or service cannot sustain the increased prices. Consequently, the options for such businesses is either to have the investors absorb the cost thru lower dividends, cut back on services or product, move to a less taxing jurisdiction, or go out of business altogether. There is no 100% “pass thru” of taxes to consumers. That is a myth that even supposedly intelligent people believe.
Limited liability and enduring existence are, in fact, the POSITIVE features of incorporation that make it worthwhile, and a positive contribution to the economy. These are the reasons that corporate organization has become the dominant form of econmic activity everywhere, even in places like Russia and China that have increasingly dispensed with bureaucratic forms of state enterprises.
Going back to Andy’s first comment, it is worth noting that Abraham Lincoln was not on the ballot in all states in 1860. He still won. A candidate doesn’t necessarily have to be on the ballot in all states and DC to be considered mathematically viable, just in states totaling over half the EC vote. Hence, Howie Hawkins is also mathematically viable. He too can also get a significant (maybe even close to 5%) vote total for a third party candidate if his campaign leverages the fact that Biden is leading by something like 20-40% of the vote in states like CA, WA, NY, IL, and MA, and wouldn’t miss 5-10% of the vote in those states.
Adding to my last comment, Howie’s ballot access might be less than Jill’s was in 2016, but probably not by much. He might end up on ib 40 or so states plus write-in access in most of the rest when the dust settles, which is still significant.
Duverger’s Law scoffs at third parties and independents and write ins.
It is very powerful.
You cannot trifle with Duverger’s Law.
Something decisive must be done.
Like legislation, initiative, court order by every state.
If not forthcoming, by the parties.
Top Six.
All six significant parties that cover the entire political spectrum
MUST get on ALL or very nearly all ballots.
OR an independent must get on all or very nearly all ballots.
That is how Perot made a splash in 1992.
There was a groundswell of support for his candidacy.
So he said if you get me on all ballots, I will accept.
And they did!
But also there was a niche for his candidacy.
A possible third centrist party.
Roosevelt in 1912 bolted the Republican party,
declaring his candidacy.
There was a groundswell of support,
and a niche for his candidacy.
A progressive third party.
I believe if Wilson also bolted,
that ticket could have won, changing history…
for the better.
A defeat of Duverger’s Law.
Now Trump has made use of counter-PLAS.
Only Biden has a chance of defeating him.
this late in the cycle.
Only a Hail Mary attempt at Top Six,
or a revolution or a coup could defeat Trump now.
FYI, Ross Perot did utilize paid signature gathers to get on the ballot in 1992 and in 1996.
Should read, “gatherers” above.
Non-consensual limited liability means corporations can screw people over and the people behind them are not fully held accountable.
https://lonang.com/library/reference/blackstone-commentaries-law-england/
1760s – 1760s
Book I, Chap 18 Of Corporations
SCOTUS — too evil stupid beyond belief.
BC was THE main lawbook to the USA Civil War I in 1860s – dozens and dozens of editions.
Too bad the libertarians chose a Marxist as their candidate.
Andy,
I do not recall all the particulars of Perot in 1992,
IIRC there was a huge groundswell of support for him.
Huge polling,
but he choked and declined.
Then he changed his mind.
His campaign proceeded despite lower polling.
Whether paid petitioners were used or not I do not know.
Somehow he got on a lot of ballots and accepted a campaign.
The Reform party was formed.
He wound up with 19% of the national vote.
Clinton won with 42%.
Now,
if say, Perot had not choked and went on to win with the third centrist party-the Reform party-, say 34/33/33/,
this would be in direct defeat of Duverger’s Law.
We do not even know if this is possible. I think not. But I do not know.
This is why I am skeptical of the chances of Alliance/Reform party winning.
Again, a third centrist party.
No chance this year but 2024? I do not know.
I am not interested in trying.
I am interested in a direct PLAS win.
Or, secondarily, Top Six then PLAS.
Again, Trump has locked in counter-PLAS. His “base” of 40% consistent polling.
PLAS would get 40% consistent polling also.
When you clash PLAS and counter-PLAS you get what happened
in Chile in 1970. i.e. a strong leftist candidate v a strong nationalist candidate.
A very slim victory over the nationalist by the leftist Allende. Polling about 35/35/30.
The centrist party a distant third.
Allende was awful. Thankfully Pinochet took over.
“…it is worth noting that Abraham Lincoln was not on the ballot in all states in 1860.” – Joshua H.
Actually, he was on the ballot in zero states same as every other nominee. 1860 was before government printed ballots.
1860- private printed ballots were legal — put in olde ballot boxes and counted.
How many colors used ???
What is non-consensual limited liability and how does it differ from the normal understanding of limited liability?
Corporations are just groups of people.
Limited liability is fine when it protects non-decision makers. Investors, for example, have no day to day knowledge or operational control of the company and their liability ought to be limited to the value of the shares. Management (or owners in the instances where they have operational control) can already be held responsible for bad actions through piercing the corporate veil. That can be expanded upon, but abandoning the concept of limited liability entirely is nuts.
Which Libertarian candidate is a Marxist?
The NON-liability of top corp persons has infected govt long ago —
esp since 7 Dec 1941 and rot of Brit Empire in 1942 – Singapore and Tobruk major defeats.
People who get screwed by those doing business behind state protected legal shields (known as corporations, which in a sense, are like the state granting Titles of Nobility), did not consent to the limited liability protection.
All sorts of social-econ ROT due to the minority rule gerrymander laws in the USA and State regimes
— limited liab., min. wage, zoning laws, etc.
See LP Platform – laundry list of statist ROT.
https://www.lp.org/platform/
BUT – election reforms near bottom in such platform — should be at TOP.
So my hope for 2024 is that
a fusion ticket will come forward early.
The GP and LP agree to try Top Six and PLAS.
If all four significant third parties,
GP,LP, CP, Alliance/Reform, fail to get on all or nearly all ballots-we know the DP and RP will, they always do-
then PLAS will proceed anyway and succeed.
Well, yes, Duverger Law favors a two party system. But there are several remedies which have been proposed, such as Ranked Choice Voting (currently in Maine, on referendum ballot in Massachusetts), Approval Voting(being tried in several localities), and multi-member districts (such as the Fair Vote proposal).
Walter,
Yes, remedies.
Inadequate for the most part.
Fair vote seems well intentioned, but inadequate.
Duverger’s Law is a huge very powerful enemy of humanity.
It artificially imposes an electoral system of status quo.
A system that seems fair and representative but actually is not.
The vaunted two party system of the USA is its shining example.
It must be defeated.
Duverger’s so-called ***Law*** is an observed RESULT of the gerrymander systems.
like observing the machinations of tyrants in monarch/oligarch minority rule regimes for 6,000 plus years.