North Carolina’s law for independent candidates for U.S. House is so difficult, it has never been used, in the entire history of government-printed ballots in that state. On March 29, the COFOE (Coalition for Free & Open Elections) Board voted to assist a proposed lawsuit to overturn the North Carolina independent candidate law, as applied to U.S. House candidates. The law requires a petition signed by 4% of the number of registered voters in the district, plus a large filing fee.

A lawsuit is also currently pending against the North Carolina ballot access laws for new parties. It was filed in 2005 by the Libertarian Party and still doesn’t have a decision.