State Senate OKs Measure To Ease Ballot Restrictions

After several weeks of debate, N.C. senators unanimously approved a bill that will reduce the number of required signatures needed for third-party candidates to get on the ballot.

Senate Bill 10, named Ballot Access Changes, focuses on lowering the required number of signatures that third-party and independent candidates need to get on the N.C. ballot. The bill will now head to the House for approval.

Currently, N.C. law states that third- party candidates need 2 percent of votes from the total number of registered voters to get on the ballot.

The new bill will call for third parties to be placed on the ballot if they attain 2 percent of votes from the total ballots cast in the previous gubernatorial election.

Third-party and independent candidates will also have an additional month to gather votes.

Under the bill, these candidates would have until noon on the last Friday in July to submit the required number of signatures.

Many state legislators see the measure as a positive step toward a more democratic system in N.C. state government.

Sen. Patrick Ballantine, R-Carteret, said the bill will give third-party candidates a better opportunity to be a part of the democratic process.

"I think it is important for democracy not to make it too difficult for people to run for office," Ballantine said.

"People should have the right to vote for whoever they want."

Ballantine also played an active role in the bill's passage in the Senate.

His amendments added two provisions to the bill, one of which says that if a third-party candidate loses in the primary election, then he or she cannot run for that office in the general election.

But some third-party members see this bill as a small step in fixing the dominance of the two-party system.

N.C. Green Party member Carrol Webber, said the bill might be an improvement on the current system, but more still needs to be done in North Carolina for third parties.

"It is a small improvement and any improvement is welcome," he said. "But North Carolina is still the worst state in getting third parties on the ballot and with this bill, they will still be the worst."

Some members of the House Elections Committee share Webber's pessimism. Rep. Gene Arnold, R-Nash, said the bill serves no purpose but to rid people of their money and legislators of votes.

"When you see a ballot that has 10-15 people, there is a great level of expense in preparing these ballots," he said.

"It serves no purpose to have more than three or four candidates on the ballot other than to take away votes from legitimate candidates."

But the general consensus from legislators seems to be one of approval. Rep. Walter Church D-Burke, said he does not believe additional names on the ballot will be more expensive and affirms that he will support the bill when it gets to the floor in the House.

"I don't see how adding names to the ballot would be more expensive."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.