In 2010, California has the fifth most difficult petition requirement for independent candidates to get on the November ballot, for U.S. House.  The California law requires signatures equal to 3% of the number of registered voters.  The only states with higher petition requirements are Georgia (5% of the number of registered voters), North Carolina (4% of the number of registered voters), Illinois (5% of the last vote cast), and South Carolina (exactly 10,000 signatures).

This year, at least one U.S. House independent candidates has overcome the California petition requirement.  He is John Hager.  See his web page at www.hagerforcongress.org.  He is running in the 23rd district, on the central coast, the area represented by Congresswoman Lois Capps.  Thanks to Christina Tobin for this news.

The California independent candidate petition law was passed in 1976.  Starting that year, there have been six independents on the ballot for U.S. House in California in regularly-scheduled elections.  Hager is the seventh.  Before 1976, the California law was even worse.  Between 1931 and 1976, it required the signatures of 5% of the last vote cast, and primary voters couldn’t sign.  Also, all signatures had to be collected in 24 days.