COVID-19 infects the presidential ballot<\/p>\n
1928. That was the last presidential election Virginia voters were left with only two options to choose. Nearly a century later, that statistic is in jeopardy of being repeated.<\/p>\n
COVID-19 is making it nearly impossible for minor political parties to gather the required signatures to be able to appear on the ballot.<\/p>\n
Petitioners and would-be signers are scared to be exposed to the virus. Popular spots to petition, like the DMV, are closed until further notice.<\/p>\n
The two major parties have a free pass from petitioning. If they dont wish to nominate their candidate by primary, they can choose to do so by convention. The VA GOP chose to forego petition-required primaries in order to nominate their presidential and Fifth Congressional District candidates. They only had three out of seven candidates make the June primary even after a Richmond judge lowered the ballot access requirement 65%, from 10,000 to 3,500 signatures.<\/p>\n
Potential alternatives to ease the insurmountable hurdle for minor parties include allowing electronic signatures, lowering the overall requiremen, and\/or extending the deadline.<\/p>\n
The Libertarian Party is the third-largest political party in the United States. Its presidential candidate was on the ballot in all 50 states in 2016. Nearly 200,000 Virginia voters voted for a third-party candidate that year. The last presidential election Virginia voters didnt have the option to vote for the LP presidential candidate was in 1984.<\/p>\n
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: COVID-19 infects the presidential ballot - Martinsville Bulletin<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" COVID-19 infects the presidential ballot 1928. That was the last presidential election Virginia voters were left with only two options to choose. Nearly a century later, that statistic is in jeopardy of being repeated. Continue reading