Douglas Hughes, who is somewhat famous because in April 2015 he landed his gyrocopter on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol, has filed to run for U.S. House in Florida’s 23rd district. He is a Democrat and will run against incumbent Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She is not only a member of Congress, but also the chair of the Democratic National Committee. He landed his gyrocopter in order to deliver letters to each member of Congress, saying the current campaign finance system is intolerable. He has been charged with a felony, even though he notified the government of his flight in advance and did no harm. See this story. The story explains that the U.S. Constitution permits felons and ex-felons to run for Congress. In any event, he hasn’t yet been convicted. Thanks to Politico for the link.

He will be on the ballot by paying a very large filing fee; no petition is needed.

New Jersey only requires 800 signatures for a minor party or independent presidential candidate to get on the November ballot. It has long been considered one of the nation’s easiest states for presidential ballot access.

However, there is a hidden barrier. The New Jersey elections webpage says, “Each of the 14 candidates for the office of Elector for President and Vice President must meet the following qualifications: (1) shall have attained the age of 25 years by the date of the swearing into office; (2) a United States citizen for seven years by the day of the swearing into office; (3) a resident of New Jersey by the day of the election. Those requirements are not hidden and are not restrictive.

When the Prohibition Party turned in its petition and its slate of electors on December 21, it was told that the state must have proof that each elector meets the state’s requirements. Elector candidates need not be registered voters, they merely must be eligible to register. However, if a candidate for presidential elector isn’t in the state’s list of registered voters, the department wants proof that each elector is at least 25, has been a citizen for seven years, and is not in prison or on parole for a felony. Because most of the electors weren’t in the state voter database, the state asked to see a copy of each elector’s drivers license. The individual turning in the petitions and the list of electors did not realize the state would require such documents, so the filing is in abeyance while these documents are gathered together.