In November 2018, 28 candidates for Governor of Tennessee will be on the ballot. For regularly-scheduled statewide general elections, this is the greatest number of candidates on a government-printed ballot in U.S. history, for a particular office.
The main reason there are so many candidates in the Tennessee Governor’s race is that the Libertarian Party placed fifteen candidates on the ballot, using the independent procedure, which only needs 25 signatures, and no filing fee. Also one Green filed, plus ten bona fide independents.
Libertarians took this action to draw attention to the irrational ballot access laws of Tennessee. The petition to create a party requires signatures equal to 2.5% of the last gubernatorial vote, a petition so difficult that it hasn’t been successfully used since 1968. Libertarians this year actually tried to get 23 gubernatorial candidates on the ballot, using the independent procedure, but not all of them qualified.
The previous high number of candidates in a regularly-scheduled statewide general election was for president in Colorado in November 2016. That ballot had 22 presidential candidates. Colorado does not require a petition to get on the ballot for president in November; it just requires a $1,000 fee.
Here is a link to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s web page, listing the November 2018 candidates. The press in Tennessee has almost entirely ignored the number of candidates on the ballot.
4 years from now it will be 25,000 signatures for everyone other than Rs and Ds.
Showing 14 Libertarians and 11 Independents at http://politics1.com/tn.htm
Coonrippy for Governor!! http://coonrippy.com/
Second best ever candidate name – only bested by Tim Turnipseed in ’82.
Stunt political actions have reactions — generally very EVIL/BAD – from the regime in Power.
See China – Tinamin protest.
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ANY lawyers in TN with brain cells —
1. Separate is NOT equal — major / old minor / new minor parties, independents – 4 types.
2. Each election is NEW – since FIRST election.
3. EQUAL ballot access tests for ballot access — ALL candidates for SAME office in SAME area.
4. Ongoing perversion of 1 Amdt regarding *election mechanics* – ballot access, voting, etc.
What U S. Constitutional provision entitles the states to enact politically discriminatory laws under the guise of administering a secret ballot ballot in elections?
A federal judge in Colorado in 2012 ruled there is no constitutional right to a secret ballot. If there is no federal constitutional right to a secret ballot, how can the secret ballot be used in elections for federal candidates without express authorization by the Congress under Article I, Section 4? Does the Congress have the power under Article I, Section 4 to mandate the secret ballot in all elections in all states?
It would seem a constitutional amendment is needed to make secret ballot elections constitutional. So, why has the U. S. been using so-called secret ballots in elections since the 1890s?
Could it have anything to do with entrenching the Democratic and Republican parties in power for the last 120 years?
DFR—
1-4-1
The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.
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OBVIOUSLY — State laws first, Fed laws second [See US Code, Title 2 and Title 52]
many of the Title 52 laws are regarding enforcement of later Amdts – 15, etc.
2 USC 9–
All votes for Representatives in Congress must be by written or printed ballot, or voting machine the use of which has been duly authorized by the State law; and all votes received or recorded contrary to this section shall be of no effect.
(R.S. §27; Feb. 14, 1899, ch. 154, 30 Stat. 836.)
Codification
R.S. §27 derived from acts Feb. 28, 1871, ch. 99, §19, 16 Stat. 440, and May 30, 1872, ch. 239, 17 Stat. 192.
[1899 law due to olde voting machines in 1890s]
The Fed backup in 1-4-1 was due to the almost FATAL failure of many States to send delegates to the Congress in 1775-1787 – esp. during the Am Rev War- 1775-1784.
@DFR,
Congress has required use of ballots for federal elections since 1871, as part of the Apportionment Bill. Northern hegemons controlled Congress at the time and insisted that all States do it like they do.
Northern States typically used secret ballots, while some Southern States used voice votes, these were based on the political traditions they inherited from England.
Speak up in an ex-rebel State in 1865-1876 and say you are an Elephant (who loved having the Lincoln Union Army/Navy kill off slavery supporters in the rebel States (aka CSA) in 1861-1865 and see what happens.
ANY visable Elephants in the Ex-Rebel States from 1877 (Union Army gets out of law enforcement in ex-rebel States) to 1964 ???
Any special colored ballots (such as blood red) for Elephant Party candidates in 1865 onward in such States ???
I have taken time to reconsider my argument in light of the objections.
@Jim Riley
“Congress has required use of ballots for federal elections since 1871, as part of the Apportionment Bill. Northern hegemons controlled Congress at the time and insisted that all States do it like they do. Northern States typically used secret ballots . . .”
There were no state monopoly secret ballot laws anywhere until Massachusetts passed such a law in 1888. The 1871 Congressional apportionment bill only mandated written ballots for House elections, it did not bestow the privilege of monopolizing the production and use of written ballots in federal elections in the states. Private, individually prepared ballots were still used in federal elections after 1871.
@Demo Rep
“2 USC 9– All votes for Representatives in Congress must be by written or printed ballot, or voting machine the use of which has been duly authorized by the State law; and all votes received or recorded contrary to this section shall be of no effect. (R.S. §27; Feb. 14, 1899, ch. 154, 30 Stat. 836.)”
Note the literal wording “…by written or printed ballot, or voting machine…” Individually prepared written ballots were still legal for federal elections OR parties and candidates could print ballots OR the states could use a voting machine. None of that verbiage gives the states a monopoly of production of ballots exclusively for use in holding federal elections.
There is no constitutional power given to the Congress in Article I which the Congress can delegate to the states to monopolize ballots. The states had no “residual or police power” to monopolize ballots after the ratification of the Constitution.
In short, unless a constitutional amendment is ratified to alter Article I, Section 4, the monopoly of the ballot by the states (de facto by the duopoly political parties) has been an unconstitutional violation of Article I, Section 4, the First and Fourteenth Amendments since passage of the 1888 Massachusetts law.
Since Article I, Section 4 give the Congress exclusive authority to govern federal elections, it is doubtful the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to rule the state monopoly secret ballot laws constitutional, nor can the Congress by legislation make state monopoly secret ballot laws legal.
Has a bill to submit a secret ballot monopoly constitutional amendment ever been introduced in Congress?
I still haven’t seen coverage on this. Any predictions on what percentage these 26 independents will received combined?