logo

WATCH: How Third Parties and Independents Get Ballot Access

image
Jake SimmsJake Simms
Published: 17 Oct, 2016
1 min read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65AZr335FWc

We over at Third Candidates took time this summer and fall to learn more about the process independent and third party candidates go through in order to be granted ballot access.

Like a lot of things in our system, ballot access is badly in need of simplification so political competition can be a little more free flowing. Just like getting on a debate stage, being on the ballot brings an air of viability to a candidate. Keeping that at arms length is an effective way to stifle competition.  

If an individual can't easily get ballot access, or a party can't provide it, ambitious, up-and-coming politicians are more likely to join the D or R parties.

Anyway, this one was a blast to produce. We visited Virginia, New Hampshire, Maine, and the Hudson valley area of New York. John learned to drive a tractor. I learned new tricks on how to eat lobster.

Our next episode will look into a reform that many readers of this site are probably aware of: Ranked Choice Voting.

Photo Credit: Shawn M. Griffiths / IVN.us

You Might Also Like

Will the Texas Republican Party be Successful Where the Hawaiian Democratic Party Failed?
Will the Texas Republican Party be Successful Where the Hawaiian Democratic Party Failed?
The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) is suing Secretary of State Jane Nelson in an effort to close the state’s primary elections to party members only – a move that the Democratic Party of Hawaii (DPH) tried back in 2013 in its state and failed. ...
05 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read
Supreme Court building.
Retired Attorney Takes Voting Rights Case All the Way to the Supreme Court -- By Himself
The next big voting rights case the Supreme Court of the United States could consider wasn’t filed by the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause, or another household name when it comes to voter rights. ...
09 Sep, 2025
-
5 min read
congress flag
Poll: 82% of Americans Want Redistricting Done by Independent Commission, Not Politicians
There may be no greater indication that voters are not being listened to in the escalating redistricting war between the Republican and Democratic Parties than a new poll from NBC News that shows 8-in-10 Americans want the parties to stop....
10 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read