Third Party Ballot

January 19, 2008

How does one get on a ballot? How does one go about registering as a third party? How easy is it to get registered on a state to run for president? What’s the cost to get registered and what’s the last date that one might sign up for the November 2008 election? These are some of the questions that Michael Bloomberg is asking the Ross Perot people.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg met Friday with the ballot access expert and campaign manager for H. Ross Perot’s third-party presidential bid, a sign of the multibillionaire’s seriousness about a possible independent run. Bloomberg met privately with Clay Mulford, who is well-versed in third-party ballot access and served as campaign manager for Perot.

If you’ve been tracking with me on this web site, you know this is the next logical step.

Perot sought the presidency in 1992 and 1996. The lunch meeting with Mulford comes less than two months before Bloomberg would be able to start gathering signatures to get on the ballot and meet Texas’ early deadline. If Bloomberg wants a chance at winning the state’s large slice of electoral votes, he would need to collect about 74,100 signatures by May 12, and cannot begin circulating petitions here until March 5. Not only does he have a short window to petition, the signatures need to be from Texas residents who did not vote in a party primary.

Pretty stiff requirements. Remember the Green party?

Friday, during a news conference, Bloomberg was asked about the significance of being in Texas, with its early ballot deadline. He seemed irritated with the question, having said only a moment earlier that he is “not a candidate” despite all the calls for him to run. “I just said, I’m not a candidate — it couldn’t be clearer,” he said. “Which of the words do you not understand? People have urged me to do it but I’m not a candidate.”

Technically, that’s true.

Despite his public denials, Bloomberg has been consulting with people such as Mulford and is conducting a sophisticated analysis of voter data in all 50 states to better understand his chances as a third-party candidate. Aides have said he would delay a decision until after the major parties produce clear front-runners. And we are now just two weeks away from Suepr Tuesday so now is the time to plan.

And guess who has the time and MONEY to plan? Steve Forbes and Ross Perot think Michael does.

Written by Ernie · Filed Under A Third Party?

Comments

One Response to “Third Party Ballot”

The Romney Run on January 21st, 2008 11:46 am

[...] will be the last one or two standing? And who will that person face in November? Obama, Hillary, and Bloomberg? Maybe two of those [...]

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