Supreme Court: LPNH not discriminated against

[error]

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Minor+parties+lose+election+law+challenge&articleId=77170180-f935-456c-920e-720792c51b48

Minor parties lose election law challenge

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Thursday, Nov. 23, 2006

Concord ? The Libertarian Party was not discriminated against when the state Legislature made it tougher for minor parties to get on the ballot, the state Supreme Court ruled.

Tuesday's ruling upheld a lower court decision to dismiss a lawsuit by the Libertarians, the Constitution Party of New Hampshire and the Coalition for Free and Open Elections.

Under state law, a party must get a certain percentage of the votes in a statewide election to be allowed to run a full slate of candidates on the next ballot. If the party doesn't meet that threshold, it has to collect the signatures of 3 percent of the total number of voters to get on the ballot.

The minor parties challenged a 1997 amendment that increased the percentage of votes cast in the previous election from 3 to 4 percent, arguing the Legislature raised the bar "for the sole purpose of eliminating the Libertarian Party as a viable challenger to the Republican Party."

During oral arguments before the court in July, lawyer Paul Twomey said petitions were a costly and burdensome alternative, because a minor party would have to gather more than 20,000 signatures.

[burnthebeautiful]

Wow, Swedish law is much better on this.

* 1500 signatures to get a "copywrite" on your parties name
* No requirements whatsoever to have ballots printed and distribute them to polling places yourself.
* 1% of the votes and next election the government distributes your parties ballots to every polling place in the country
* 4% you get in the parliament

[Braddogg]

Wow, Swedish law is much better on this.

* 1500 signatures to get a "copywrite" on your parties name
* No requirements whatsoever to have ballots printed and distribute them to polling places yourself.
* 1% of the votes and next election the government distributes your parties ballots to every polling place in the country
* 4% you get in the parliament

A system of proportional representation would be nice in America.

[error]

Hm, that smells a lot like democracy. Not so sure I want any of that.

[Lex]

Hm, that smells a lot like democracy. Not so sure I want any of that.

You don't want a mob to decide how you should live your life? What's wrong with you! 

[error]

Hm, that smells a lot like democracy. Not so sure I want any of that.

You don't want a mob to decide how you should live your life? What's wrong with you! 

I didn't believe everything they told me in public school.