The Eleventh Circuit will hear Libertarian Party of Alabama v Merrill, 20-13356, on Tuesday, August 24. This is the case over Alabama’s policy of giving the list of registered voters free to the qualified parties, but charging approximately $36,000 to parties that are trying to get on the ballot. The U.S. District Court had upheld the policy, even though in 1970 the U.S. Supreme Court summarily affirmed a 3-judge U.S. District Court decision from New York that said if the government gives a free list to the qualified parties, it must also give a free list to parties trying to petition.
$36,000 is clearly far more than the actual cost to run a list of registered voters and provide it to the requesting party. It looks like the state just wants to discourage any party other than the two major parties. Here in Kansas the state-wide list of registered voters costs $200.