Pennsylvania Senator Mike Folmer (R-Lancaster and Lebanon Counties) has introduced a bill to greatly ease minor party and independent candidate ballot access. The bill doesn’t have a bill number yet. It is believed that it permits a minor party to be ballot-qualified (and to nominate by convention) if it has registration of one-twentieth of 1%. If that were current law, the Constitution, Green, and Libertarian Parties would be ballot-qualified with no need for any petitioning for their nominees. UPDATE: here is Senator Folmer’s press release about the bill.
Independent candidates would need the same number of signatures that Democrats and Republicans need when they try to get on primary ballots. The statewide independent petition would be 2,000 signatures.
This would be great news. I wonder what the chances of it passing are. Considering what we have seen in the past, I will say not likely. All pennsylvanians need to call there state reps and senators to co-sponsor this bill. Good job Sen. Folmer.
Yes this sounds like a good law.