On February 23, Ken Martin wrote a letter in support of SF 1827, the bill that raises the definition of a qualified party from 5% to 10%. Martin is the chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

The letter says that 19 states have two categories of political party, and says that the threshold for major party status ought to be high. What the letter does not say is that in Minnesota, the “minor party” category confers absolutely no ballot access. A Minnesota “minor party”, in state law, is not on the ballot and all its nominees must petition as though the group had no status whatsoever.

The letter then goes on to compare Minnesota with other states, in a deceptive manner. There are 17 states with two tiers of qualified party, but both tiers are on the ballot. The upper tier nominates by primary; the lower tier nominates by convention. But both types of party are freed from having to petition for their nominees (except in New Mexico). For example, in Texas, a party with 20% of the vote must nominate by primary; parties that poll 2% nominate by convention but are on the ballot. The letter asserts that Texas has a 20% vote test, but the Texas 20% does not relate to ballot access, but simply to the detail of how a party nominates. The letter also asserts that Colorado has a 20% vote test, but, again, as in Texas, that is just the threshold for a mandatory primary as opposed to nomination by convention. It doesn’t relate to ballot access. Here is the letter.

On March 10, David Hamm, the state chair of the Republican Party wrote a letter in support of the bill, although it does not make misleading factual statements about ballot access.