The Ballot Access Fairness Coalition seeks to reform the ballot access laws in the State of New Hampshire so that all candidates are treated equally for ballot access purposes, in accordance with Part 1, Article 11 of the NH Constitution, “Every inhabitant of the state, having the proper qualifications, has equal right to be elected into office.”
Current ballot access laws in New Hampshire make it difficult for independent and minor party candidates to appear on the ballot — much more difficult than in most other states. The result is less political competition, less political dialog, and fewer choices to vote for in November. The current system is simply not fair and does a great disservice to the ideal of democracy and to the voters.
In 2014, the requirement for a minor party was nearly 20,000 petitions. Petitioning requirements for a minor party or independent candidates vary from race to race (from 150 petitions for State Rep. to 3,000 for Governor or US Senate), however major party candidates need only pay a filing fee, and for lower offices are often unopposed in their primary!
New Hampshire law needs to be changed by the State Legislature to lower the outrageous signature requirements.
Coalition members include the following parties and organizations:
Libertarian Party of New Hampshire
NH Liberty Party
Ballot Access Fairness Coalition 