AJC reports on Georgia’s Libertarian Party candidates and their impact on the 2014 elections.
From AJC: Challenges remain
Libertarians have faced plenty of obstacles in the Peach State.
Georgia is one of the nation’s most restrictive states when it comes to ballot access. Independent or third-party candidates running in a nonstatewide race are required to gather verified signatures from 5 percent of voters to get their name on the ballot.
That means, for example, that an independent or third-party candidate running in Georgia’s 1st Congressional District — where 373,855 votes were cast in the previous election — would need almost 19,000 signatures.
In order to be recognized as an official party in Georgia, a party’s candidate must gain 20 percent of the gubernatorial or presidential vote. That recognition is important: A party can nominate candidates for the ballot and avoid the signature requirement.
