Thursday, October 17, 2013

Ohio Libertarians may be shoved off ballot by new election law

Ohio Libertarians Sure Feel Like They’re Being Shoved Off the Ballot | TheBlaze.com - Becket Adams:

October 17, 2013 - "The Ohio state Senate last week passed a bill that has many Libertarian and Green Party members upset.

"The bill, sponsored by Cincinnati Republican Sen. Bill Seitz, would require minor parties to gather petition signatures from at least 1 percent of the total votes cast in the most recent election for governor or president."

"That’s more than 56,000 signatures using last year’s election numbers. To remain a qualified political party, groups must get 3 percent of the total votes cast in the following gubernatorial or presidential election.

"No third-party candidate in the most recent elections has reached those numbers.

"Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, for example, garnered only 0.9 percent, or 49,493 votes, in the 2012 presidential election. In the 2010 gubernatorial race, Libertarian candidate Ken Matesz got 2.4 percent of the vote, while Green Party candidate Dennis Spisak won 1.5 percent.

"And considering the fact that Libertarian and Green Party candidates rarely come close to scoring the kind of numbers the bill would require, the new proposal may very well bar third party candidates from participating in future elections.

Read more: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/10/17/ohio-libertarians-sure-feel-like-theyre-being-shoved-off-the-ballot/
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