The Libertarian Party and the Green Party, at this point, are each entitled to presidential primaries in six jurisdictions for 2016. That number could conceivably increase if the parties complete various ballot access petitions between now and 2016 deadlines.
Libertarians have the right to their own presidential primaries in Arizona, California, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and North Carolina. Greens have them in Arizona, California, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio.
The Constitution Party has a presidential primary in Missouri.
Technically, the Libertarian and Green Parties could also have a presidential primary in Delaware, except that the law requires so many signatures for a presidential candidate to get on the presidential primary ballot in those states (and only party members can sign) that in fact the primary can’t be used.
Richard,
Can you please provide a brief overview of the requirements for a candidate to get on the primary ballot in these six states?
My notes show the following:
Arizona – no petition and no fee. It is possible the legislature will change that. I believe right now the law just says anyone can apply and they will be put on.
California – SOS selects? old Secretary of State, who isn’t there any more, just let the chair of the LP tell her whom to list. I presume the new Secretary of State will do the same.
Delaware – candidates need 500 signatures of party members. In November 2014 the LP had 1,116 registrants.
Missouri – $1,000 or 5,000 petitions
Montana – 500 petitions
North Carolina – State chair submits list to SOS § 163-213.4.
States where an LP primary may realistically happen:
Idaho – puts candidates on who are discussed in the national news media. Idaho won’t give us a primary unless there are at least two candidates.
Nebraska – same law as Idaho (the head of the election division just Googles to see which Libertarians are running for president. He likes minor parties.)
South Dakota – state party officers can tell the Sec of State which candidates to list.
I think everything you have above is still true. James Ogle says he got on the Missouri Libertarian Party presidential primary in 2012 without paying any filing fee. I don’t know how he did that. No one else ran in that primary. Maybe he will comment and tell us moire.
In 2012 the Arizona Libertarian Party told the Secretary of State not to print up a presidential primary ballot for the LP, and maybe the party will do the same thing in 2016.
A quick search of Missouri election law shows that there is a declaration of indigency that can be filed if the candidate is unable to pay the fee.
Also both in West Virginia, though the Libertarian Party traditionally declines and nominates by convention here while the Mountain Party (Green affiliate) has always participated in the primary with just their handfull of state/local candidates.
I trust each of these 3rd parties will start acting like a real party and have a Presidential Primary,inviting all voters to participate – where the law permits.
I can’t understand why some 3rd parties leaders are so against the state paying for a primary Somehow, they think they impress the voters over the fact that they are not spending taxpayers money for the cost of the primary. Don]t hear too many of them opposing their taxes paying for a library in their neighborhood they never use, or a street in their section of town they never drive down. For some reason, the think the public thinks they are such great “watchers of the people’s money” by swelling up their chest and announce they will not participate in a public paid primary. These people apparently are of a younger generation and don’t remember the crooked election results which came out of the private primaries and private conventions.
Additionally, in the public paid primaries, it is the same election officials handling (and counting) the ballots of the parties – whether they are Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Constitution or whatever party. So where is all the waste of money 3rd party leaders seem to be concerned about?
If you are going to be a political party, grow up and start acting like a political party. Who ever said a government of free people was cost free?
I got on the Green Party presidential preference election in Arizona (the law never uses the word “primary”!) in 2012 simply by filing a notarized one-page paper.
Here is the current law, from Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 16:
16-242. Qualifications for ballot; nomination paper
A. A person seeking nomination as a candidate for the office of president of the United States shall sign and cause to be filed with the secretary of state a nomination paper that contains the following information:
1. The name, residence address and mailing address of the candidate.
2. The name of the recognized political party from which the person seeks nomination.
3. The name and address of the chairman of the candidate’s state committee.
4. The exact manner for printing the candidate’s name on the presidential preference ballot pursuant to section 16-311.
B. The nomination paper shall be filed not less than ninety days nor more than one hundred twenty days before the presidential preference election and not later than 5:00 p.m. on the last day for filing.
C. A candidate for the office of president of the United States shall file with the secretary of state nomination petitions signed by one thousand qualified electors who are qualified to vote for the candidate whose nomination petition they are signing for that election or, for recognized parties with fewer than fifty thousand registered voters, nomination petitions signed by one thousand qualified electors of any political party affiliation who, at the time they sign, are registered voters.
D. Nomination petitions shall conform to the requirements of section 16-314.
E. In lieu of the petition requirements of this section, a candidate may qualify to appear on the presidential preference primary ballot of the candidate’s political party by filing with the secretary of state no later than the last Tuesday in January preceding a presidential preference primary, a notice of candidacy signed by the candidate and either of the following:
1. A certification by the federal election commission that, by the filing deadline, the candidate has qualified for matching federal campaign funds.
2. Evidence that by the filing deadline the candidate’s name is qualified to appear on the presidential preference primary ballot of the candidate’s political party in at least twenty other states.
F. Within seventy-two hours after the close of filing the secretary of state shall certify to the officer in charge of elections the names of the candidates who are qualified for the presidential preference election ballot.
It appears to me that the Arizona law has been changed to make getting on the presidential primary more difficult.