Reply #14: Ballot access law for Texas - Just say no to Kinky [View All]

[sonias]

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/candidates/guide/newparty.shtml
Your party must register with the Secretary of State's Office by January 2, 2005, and needs the support of 45,540 qualified voters. (That's for a new party) If Kinky does run as an Independent which is a registered party he's going to need 64,076 signatures like Nader tried to collect.

And from the Petition in Lieu of the Filing Fee form
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/a2-4a.pdf
I understand that by signing this petition I become ineligible to vote in a primary election or participate in a convention of another party, including a party not holding a primary election, during the voting year in which this primary election is held.

So what that means is that if you sign a petition for Kinky you can forget about voting in either the repuke or Democratic primary. Also it follows that if you vote in the primary election you can't sign the petition for Kinky to appear on the Nov. ballot.


http://www.votenader.org/media_press/index.php?cid=31
Nader Campaign Sues Texas
Suit Alleges Texas Ballot Access Law Unconstitutional
May 10, 2004

Washington, DC: Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader and three Texas voters seeking to be his presidential electors, filed suit today against the State of Texas for preliminary and injunctive relief against the State’s ballot access law. The suit, Nader et al, v. Connor, filed in federal court in Austin, notes that the campaign has already collected in excess of 50,000 signatures and urges the Court to find the statute unconstitutional and discriminatory in three respects.

1. Texas has the earliest due date of any state, May 10. Forty-six states have deadlines of July, August, September or later. The early due date is not needed to regulate ballot access and therefore is unconstitutional.
2. It is unconstitutional for Texas to require Independent candidates to collect 64,076 signatures, nearly 20,000 more valid signatures than Third Party candidates, which must collect 45,540.
3. It is unconstitutional for Texas to require Independent candidates to collect signatures in 60 days, two weeks less time than Third Party candidates, which have 75 days.

More at link above
-------------
Nader lost the lawsuit by the way.

Sonia