Calling All Third-Party Candidates
Missourinet has an interesting story about the Constitution Party in Missouri (link via Mr. Durrwachter-Combest). Because the party hit the 2-percent statewide vote threshold in the recent state treasurer’s race, it is now poised to receive automatic ballot access in Missouri.
Ballot access status is one of the more important and underconsidered issues for third parties. Until you have it, you must spend a great deal of time gathering signatures merely to get on the ballot — time that would be much better spent trying to convince people that your ideas are worthy of their vote. A very smart way to do this is to run candidates in races in which one of the two major parties sits out. The Green Party has figured this out in the city of Saint Louis, where it has run candidates in races where no Republican files. In those cases, they get votes from all types of people who show up to vote and don’t want to support the establishment candidate, and it has been easy for them to hit the threshold for ballot access in city elections. Now they don’t have to waste time gathering signatures, but can actually try to get people to vote for them.
Now, I am not a supporter of a third party, but it is just as easy a move to pull in strongly GOP districts where no Democrat files. If Green or Libertarian Party candidates file against a Republican with no Democrat opposition, they can readily expect to get a certain number of votes from Dems who show up with nobody to support. Then they can spend less time in supermarket parking lots getting people to sign their candidacy petitions, and more time in supermarket parking lots trying to convince people that their third-party ideals aren’t insane. Isn’t democracy fun!
David,
One minor correction. The Missouri Libertarian Party has not had to petition to get our candidates on the ballot since we first gained ballot access by achieving greater than 2% of the vote statewide in 1992.
The Missouri Libertarian Party failed to field a candidate for State Treasurer which opened the door for the Constitution Party to gain ballot access. In all other races where the LP and CP went head to head, the Libertarian candidate received a higher percentage of the votes.
Thanks for giving political third parties a bit of coverage.
Glenn Nielsen
State Chair
Missouri Libertarian Party
http://lpmo.org
Comment by Glenn Nielsen — November 20, 2008 @ 7:04 a.m.
You still have to spend the initial parking lot time to get your candidate on the ballot. Also this is misleading. Yes, all of the third parties in MO are big on entering races where one of the major parties sits out, but the 2% has to be 2% in a state wide election. It’s pretty unusual for the major parties to sit out of those.
Comment by Sarah Anne — November 26, 2008 @ 2:10 p.m.
Actually, I think local governments can set their own local requirements for their own elections. That is how the Green Party has gotten ballot access in Saint Louis City elections. If you want statewide access for state seats like Senate and House, of course you need statewide races, but citywide races will suffice for city seats, and similarly in other jurisdictions. I think it was a Green Party candidate who got over 10% of the vote in the city treasurer’s race a few years back, that did it for them within the city.
Comment by David Stokes — November 26, 2008 @ 4:30 p.m.