Third Party Ballot Access Summary

Submitted by Hawkfish on Fri, 08/19/2016 - 6:21pm

Not a big deal, but I just thought everyone might like a quick update on non-duopoly parties.

Libertarians

The Libertarians are doing the best right now in terms of states*: They are on the ballot in all but nine, and are actively working on the rest. Some of the missing states are big swing states, (OH, PA, KY and VA) however, so they have a possible total of 440 electoral votes.

Greens

The Greens are now either on the ballot or have submitted the requisite paperwork for 38 states - including all but two big battleground states. The two big ones that are missing are KY and VA, but petition drives are underway. Their electoral vote total is currently 442, which shows that state count isn't everything in this race.

The Greens are also suing the states of Nevada and Oklahoma over ballot access, but that seems like a waste of resources given the number of votes at stake.

Constitution

The Constitution party is not doing so well. They are only on the ballot in 26 states and have a lot of "write in" petitions in place. Right now, they have 238 electoral votes either submitted or nailed down, but without CA, NY or TX (!) they don't really have a good debate case to make for their nominee Darrell Castle.

I also haven't seen Castle's name in the FEC contributions database, so he hasn't managed to pull in even one donor over $250. The new data drop is Monday, so I'll have to keep an eye out for him - you never know this year.

Summary

Despite the lead in states and polling, the Libertarians have been passed by the Greens in terms of electoral college totals. The Greens also have more detail on their map and seem to be doing a much better job of organising their membership of late. Combine that with the spike in interest after the CNN town hall, this could bode well for them.

It's also interesting to see how uneven access is. The Constitution party may not have the big states, but they are on the ballot in NV where the Greens are reduced to suing. This underscores the importance of staying organised on off-years, especially through down ballot candidates.

* By "state" I mean political entities that have electoral college votes. So, this includes DC, and there are 51 total.

Tags:

#election2016 #greens #libertarians #constitution

Vote

Comments

Submitted by detroitmechworks on Fri, 08/19/2016 - 6:42pm

I expect a LOT of Republican and Democratic Challenges...

to all 3rd party candidates in courts.

Many of them on pretext, and timed exactly to get stays issued until the elections are over.

Yes, I'm paranoid, but I also know how slime with power does business.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Submitted by PhilK on Fri, 08/19/2016 - 6:48pm

Thanks for this diary

I live in Tennessee, where the federal courts have routinely been keeping the Green Party on the ballot for years. The Greens routinely claim that Tennessee's ballot access laws are unreasonably restrictive, and the courts routinely agree.

The collusion between R's & D's on this issue is just one more reason why I'll never vote for a Republican or a Democrat again.

Submitted by Blasphemy101 on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 12:20pm

I know this one too

We have the same issue here in North Carolina. Scary thing, we are tied for the most restrictive ballot access laws in the US with Alabama. Honestly, it is time to have a national standard for ballot access for federal races. This mish mash of rules is ridiculous for national races.

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War, War Never Changes - Fallout Series

Submitted by QMS on Fri, 08/19/2016 - 9:35pm

thanks for the perspective HF

we need to shake up this system to become more democratic

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question everything

Submitted by Lenzabi on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 12:31am

Thanks for the news. I have

Thanks for the news. I have investigated the "Constitution Party" th name is a misnomer, they are a pro-theocracy and not pro-constitution party. Whose Theocracy? their branch of Christian right wing theocracy. so them having a hard time is not making me shed tears, they were scary in Oregon, and they ought not to gt power.

Greens however, I like as the4y are progressive past the lip service the Dems give to Progressivism.

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So long, and thanks for all the fish

Submitted by LeChienHarry on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 7:17am

Just the information needed. Thank you for compiling it for us.

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Submitted by apenultimate on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 8:51am

Green Party Actuals

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I've always been one for accuracy. I am a Green Party supporter.

The Green Party currently has ballot access in 29 states, plus DC, for a total of 382 electoral votes. About 2 weeks ago they had access to 342 (or something very close to that--working from memory here), so they are making headway.

The reason I point this out is that they did file double the number of signatures needed in Georgia, which then came back and said "Nope!" as they invalidated about half of them. Everyone was counting Georgia as "in the bag" for quite a while. In other words--don't count your chickens until they're official!

The Greens have actually filed signatures in 7 states, worth 56 electoral college votes, and are awaiting word.

They are still collecting signatures in 7 states worth 39 electoral college votes.

The Greens are official write-in candidates in 2 states (Indiana and North Carolina), worth 26 electoral college votes. So these aren't very realistic to win.

People will not be able to vote for Greens at all in South Dakota or Georgia, worth 19 electoral votes.

Finally, in Nevada and Oaklahoma, there is court action ongoing to determine if Greens will have ballot access. 13 electoral votes there.

It takes 270 electoral college votes to win the presidency outright.

Submitted by Hawkfish on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 9:40am

You are right, that was a bit confusing

I was including petitioned states in the total, but GA is the only one that has been pissy.

It was a bit difficult to compare parties because the Greens map is much more detailed than the Libs and I got the sense that the Libs are including filed petitions in their map. Heck, the Constitution party map is more detailed than the Libs. Go figure.

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We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg

Submitted by Blasphemy101 on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 12:22pm

Hell Yeah

We got write in access here in NC. I was absolutely sure that TPTB would pull some shady shit to keep it from happening (They do with everything else in this state). JILL 2016. I now can vote for the candidate I support BOOYAH

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War, War Never Changes - Fallout Series

Submitted by native on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 10:03am