Libertarian, Green Party Politicians Seeing Blocks By Established Parties

PEORIA — Several familiar central Illinois faces may not make it on election ballots after all, thanks to a series of challenges to their third party candidacies for statewide offices.
Libertarian governor candidate Chad Grimm of Peoria, running mate Alexander Cummings of West Peoria and Green Party secretary of state candidate Sheldon Schafer of Peoria could be booted from the ballot along with the rest of their nominees for constitutional office thanks to the objections filed by Democratic and Republican party loyalists.
Both campaigns are trying to make an issue of it, both in the court of public opinion and, in the case of the Green Party, in a federal courtroom where they sued this week challenging a number of issues in the petitioning process and the review by the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Schafer — a two-time Green Party candidate for Congress in the 18th District — said the problem has grown with changes in the election code, “each year making it harder and harder so that fewer and fewer people can participate in the political arena.”

Illinois law requires candidates from third parties — and those running as independents — to submit many more signatures already to get on the ballot than those running under the banner of the established parties, Republican and Democrat. For statewide office, while candidates from the two familiar parties have to file 5,000 names on nominating petitions, others must come up with 25,000 people willing to provide a John Hancock. (It’s higher still in some congressional races; in the 18th District, a candidate would have to file more than 16 times the 1,014 signatures a GOP candidate would need or the 626 a Democrat has to file.)
That’s one of the most direct ways Republicans and Democrats make common cause to discourage competition, a longtime observer of state government said.

“They’re not going to try to make it easy for people who are going to challenge the monopoly,” said Kent Redfield, an emeritus professor at the University of Illinois-Springfield. “The rules are written by the people in power … The Democrats and Republicans will fight each other on (changing) different aspects of election law on early voting or same-day registration, but when the issue is a challenge to the monopoly that the Democratic and Republican parties have on Illinois elections, clearly the rules are written to discourage third parties and independent candidates.”

The Libertarian Party ticket turned in 43,921 total signatures, and not quite 24,000 have been challenged by a pair connected to state Republicans. The Green Party ticket fielded just fewer than 30,000 signatures and about 12,000 have been challenged by an official connected to state Democrats. Constitution Party candidates also face a similar challenge.

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TeleKat said:

Libertarian, Green Party politicians seeing blocks by established parties - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL

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Perotista said:

I know how it is having worked for Perot in 1992 and 1996. Back then it was tough and we had to have a pool of about 100 lawyers to challenge the different state laws and protect our petitions. Since then the Republicans and Democrats have made things even tougher for any third party or independent to get on the ballot. The election laws are written by Republicans and Democrats as a mutual protection act.

There is nothing fair in our election process or system. It has been jury rigged from the beginning.

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DaveFagan said:

There should be a mandatory final choice on every government ballot. That would be "NONE OF THE ABOVE."

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