The North Carolina Libertarian Party turned in 108,646 raw signatures on May 15, to the State Board of Elections. The counties have already checked them, and 72,935 are valid. The legal requirement is 69,734.
The drive cost the party $134,000, of which $50,000 was from the national party and $84,000 from the state party. The party invited the press to the turn-in, and some press attended. The party points out that the verification process cost elections administrators 4,000 person-hours of labor, at taxpayer expense.
The drive was so expensive for the national Libertarian Party, that the party was unable to pay for the party petition in South Dakota and Oklahoma, and has not started the West Virginia candidate petition, and perhaps may not do any petitioning in West Virginia this year.
A decision on the constitutionality of the North Carolina ballot access law for parties is expected by May 24.
No petition hurdle as great as 69,734 signatures has been met by any new or minor party, or any independent candidate, since Ross Perot overcame a petition requirement of 134,781 signatures in California in 1992, to qualify as an independent. It should be noted that in 1995, two new parties also qualified in California, but that was not by petition. Instead, they each obtained 89,007 registrants. The two parties that did that in 1995 were the Reform and Natural Law Parties.