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This is the final in a special five-part series, "The Other Contenders," looking at lesser-known presidential candidates.

Jan. 21, 2008

The Other Contenders: Beyond the Big Two

By Bryan Warner

RALEIGH – “When you go to the grocery store you can choose from 10 brands of ketchup, but when it comes to voting, you only get two choices,” says Brian Irving of the North Carolina Libertarian Party.

Irving’s observation sums up the frustration felt by many “third-party” members.  In a country that prides itself on variety in even the most mundane areas of life, voters are ultimately given a binary option when casting a ballot for the nation’s highest office.

Members of the two major parties -- Democrats and Republicans -- might counter that their presidential primaries offer much in the way of choice.  After all, they do count among their candidates Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul.

To a third-party member, that argument may seem like praising McDonald’s and Burger King for the diversity of their value meals.

Historically, third-party presidential candidates have had little success.  Ross Perot made waves as an independent in 1992, but failed to win a single electoral vote.  Former President Teddy Roosevelt ran as a Bull Moose in 1912, garnering more votes than incumbent William Taft, but losing to Woodrow Wilson.

There are many reasons why third-party presidential candidates have been less successful as compared with those in the major parties: lower name recognition, less money and weaker party organization, among others. 

What these candidates also face is the cyclical challenge of even appearing on the ballot. That task is especially daunting in North Carolina.

In order for a third-party presidential candidate to be on North Carolina’s ballot, their state party must collect 69,734 signatures, vetted and approved by the board of elections.  The requirement is one of the strictest in the nation, according to Alan Burns, co-chair of the North Carolina Green Party.

“Between 1929 and 1981, North Carolina required 10,000 signatures to get a new party on the ballot. Now it is almost 70,000,” Burns says. “Only California has a higher number at 88,991. South Carolina needs 10,000, Hawaii only 663.”

Among North Carolina’s third parties, Libertarians appear to have collected the most signatures thus far and seem to be on track to reach the required amount. According to Irving, the effort comes at a price of about $100,000 -- a significant cost for any minor party.

Alternatively, third parties can collect 500 signatures to have their nominee accepted as an officially recognized write-in candidate. That is what the state’s Green Party did in 2004. 

But for the write-in method to have any success, voters must first be aware of the third-party nominee in order to write the candidate’s name on the ballot.  In order to build name recognition for their candidate, a party must spend money on advertising, and a lot of it in a presidential race.  Thus, it returns to a question of cash.

The complaints of third-party members may fall on the unsympathetic ears of those who view third-party candidates as well-meaning, or self-important, spoilers.  The case has been made that Perot’s 1992 candidacy took votes from George H.W. Bush, allowing Bill Clinton to win, and that Ralph Nader’s run in 2000 siphoned votes from Al Gore, opening the door for George W. Bush.

The argument is one that third-party members like Irving have grown weary of.  “Voting for principle is not a wasted vote,” he says.  “Voting for the lesser of two evils is.”

Irving’s Libertarian Party has partnered with the Green Party in a lawsuit against the State Board of Elections, challenging the constitutionality of North Carolina’s ballot access laws.  A hearing is set for Jan. 30 at the Wake County Courthouse. 

Depending on the ruling in that lawsuit, this fall North Carolinians may have far more choices in condiments than they do in presidential candidates.

Bryan Warner is the director of communications with the N.C. Center for Voter Education, a Raleigh-based nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving elections in North Carolina.