Thoughts on ballot access laws in the US

Post Reply New Topic

As a member of the Constitution Party, I think that all political parties should have access to the ballot and not be held back by the two-party system. A particular quote from the Constitution Party's website (https://www.constitutionparty.com/elect ... ot-access/) comes to mind: "Open and equal access to the ballot is the political rights issue of 21st Century America. Without all political ideologies having a place in the free marketplace of ideas, on an equal footing with the top two in power, life is like an ice cream shop that only serves two flavors – customers grow weary and no longer buy. America flourishes when its citizens have real choices with which they identify philosophically. America’s representative system of constitutional governance is doomed to fail if voters continue to be offered only vanilla and chocolate when what they really want is mint chocolate chip or a hot fudge sundae." I love how they use the analogy of an ice cream shop to convey the need for ballot access to be reformed. What is your opinion of ballot access laws in the United States? Do you think minor parties should have easier access to the ballot?

In New York State, there are many parties other than Republican and Democrat represented on the ballot.

If you get a certain amount of signatures, you are automatically put on the ballot.

The first-past-the-post system inevitably results in two parties. Third parties will never truly get anywhere until we move to something else. I can't conceive of any problem with a ranking/points system besides time needed to measure the results.

As long as money is allowed to control politics through political advertising, lobbying, funding needed to operate campaigns, etc, we won't get away from FPTP, because the two parties want to maintain their pendulum.

I would argue that voter suppression and the fact that we haven't instituted widespread mail-in ballots (with polling places as backups) are ultimately more urgent problems, however.

I agree with Ranking or Scoring the candidates.

An analogy I've read compared to how winners in most Olympic events are chosen when you obviously have more than just 2 people. The judges get to evaluate each person and give them a score, not a single vote. The one with the highest score wins and nobody is left complaining about so-called 3rd person 'Spoilers'.

Our current system reminds me of a Battle Royal in a way. Often in such contests, the strongest will join forces to more quickly and easily beat down the weaker participants before competing with each other.