On April 24, 1980, John B. Anderson declared that he would seek the presidency as an independent candidate. He subsequently placed his name on the ballot in all 50 states in November, even though he had already had his name on the ballot, or was about to have his name on the ballot, in two-thirds of the Republican presidential primaries of 1980.
This anniversary, exactly 32 years ago today, shows that candidates can enter the general election for president relatively late in the season, and can get on the ballot in all states. When Anderson declared, the case law regarding deadlines for independent presidential petitions was not nearly as good as it is today.
John is a terrific person who has been active in the movement for ballot access, electoral reform, and alternative ideas in political representation. I got to know him a little when I was director of academic resources at Nova Southeastern University law school, where John has been a distinguished visiting professor for years. His scholarship — for example, in 2004, he co-authored a Nova Law Review article, “Presidential Elections – The Right to Vote and Access to the Ballot,” 29 Nova L. Rev. 571 (2004-2005) — is worth looking at.
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John Anderson…what a class act. Maybe he wants to run again under the Americans Elect banner. 90 years old is the new 70 years old!
I voted for John Anderson in 80. I remember driving through Kansas in a 74 Opel Manta with an Anderson for President sticker on my bumper. As I was filling up, two old codgers pulled up in a pickup. One of them, seeing the bumper sticker, said to the other “Hey Pete – whatsa ‘John Anderson’ anyway?” They got a big laugh out of that.
I didn’t ask whether they were Republicans or Democrats.