On September 29, Fox News ran a five-minute interview with Elliot Ackerman, spokesman for Americans Elect See it here.

Although it is a very peripheral point, it is unfortunate that the interview gives viewers the impression that 2,900,000 signatures are required to get a presidential candidate from outside the two major parties on the ballot in all 50 states. The true figure, using the easier method in each state, is approximately 700,000 valid signatures. That number cannot be known exactly because in some states no one knows yet what the requirements will be in 2012. For example, in Pennsylvania, the number depends on voter turnout in the November 2011 statewide judicial election.

It is a little-known fact that the six most difficult states to get on the ballot for President, California, Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Georgia, and Indiana, require over 60% of the nationwide combined petition requirement.