Ballot Access and Fundraising Equity

Every state has different laws governing how independent candidates can gain access to the ballot and how much they are permitted to accept in campaign contributions. In some states Independent candidates are required to collect many more signatures than are Democratic and Republican candidates to qualify for the ballot and face stricter registration and filing deadlines and smaller campaign contribution limits.

 

 

 

 

 

This is fundamentally unfair. We support legal challenges and legislative changes to these unconstitutional laws.

 

The U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled in a lawsuit brought by a Colorado Independent voter that a state law which allowed Republicans and Democrats to accept twice as much in campaign contributions as Independent or minor party candidates violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

 

This ruling could be the basis for future court challenges to unconstitutional and unfair election laws.