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Minor parties push for equal access to ballot
By DEBORAH O'NEIL © St. Petersburg Times, published August 3, 1998 It wasn't so easy for Reform Party member Keith Segrue, who wanted to run for the same District 48 seat, now held by Sandy Safley. Like any independent or minor-party candidate in Florida, Segrue faced tough -- and some say nearly impossible -- requirements to earn a spot before the voters. "The whole political system has the effect of protecting the two-party system," said University of South Florida professor Susan MacManus, an expert on Florida politics. "The bar is set so high, most new parties can't make it easily, not even the Reform Party, which is pretty well known." To get on the ballot, Segrue had to collect on petitions signatures from 3 percent of the registered voters in his district -- 2,663 names. He gave up after gathering 650 so he could help another Reform Party candidate, Jack Gargan, collect more than 12,000 signatures. Gargan was successful and is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Karen Thurman, D-Dunnellon, in the 5th Congressional District, which includes Citrus, Hernando, part of Pasco and all or part of four other counties. "It was really difficult," Segrue said. "It's definitely an unbalanced system." The system has two sets of rules -- one for the two major parties and another for everyone else. In November, voters will be asked whether all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, should face the same rules. The question will appear in Revision 11 of the 13 proposed constitutional changes on the ballot. Democrats or Republicans entering a race can choose either to pay a fee or collect signatures on petition cards. Most opt to pay the fee, which is 6 percent of the elected position's salary. This year, 251 of the 289 candidates running for Florida Legislature seats paid the fee, according to the state elections division. "(Major party candidates) can give petitions a try, and if they don't make it, they can always whip out that checkbook and get on there anyway," said Tallahassee lawyer Daniel Walker, a Libertarian calling for ballot access reforms. When Republicans and Democrats choose to collect signatures, they need only 3 percent of the voters from their party registered in the district. But candidates for any of the state's 13 minor political parties, or candidates with no party affiliation, must collect signatures from 3 percent of all the registered voters in the district. That can make a big difference. For instance, while Segrue had to collect 2,663 names, Bilirakis would have had to collect 1,392 signatures. His Democratic opponent, Diane Ellis, qualified by petition and had to collect 804 signatures. The petition process is demanding, both for candidates and voters asked to take the time to fill out a petition card. Gargan said he was ready to give up at times. He aimed for 15,000 to 16,000 names because petitions can be disqualified for many reasons. Gargan estimates his volunteers approached more than 30,000 people because only about half agreed to fill out a card. Gargan's volunteers, mostly senior citizens, started working when the qualifying period began in January and worked right up until the morning of the deadline, July 13. "Just one or two rainy weekends would have blown us out," Gargan said. "The flip side is the sun just beat down on us. Much of this was done during the heat spell." They approached strangers at flea markets and store parking lots. Some retail chains kicked them out, Gargan said. The change to ballot access laws was suggested by the public and was the first proposal to get a unanimous vote by the state's Constitution Revision Committee, said Debby Kearney, the committee's attorney. "At virtually every public hearing, people came and talked about the unfair ballot access laws in Florida," Kearney said. "It really made an impression on the members of the commission. I had no idea myself, nor did the members, that we had among the most restrictive ballot access laws in the country." A coalition of leaders from Florida minor parties, including the Green Party, Libertarian Party and Reform Party, has formed Floridians for Fair Elections to lobby for passage of the revision. Their mantra: "It's easier to get on the ballot in St. Petersburg, Russia, as an independent than it is in St. Petersburg, Florida." "It really is," said David Goldman, treasurer of the Reform Party. "If this ballot revision passes, we all play by the same rules." Revision 11, a package of election reforms, has attracted little attention so far. The state Democratic and Republican parties haven't taken a stand on it, parties leaders said this week. Critics likely will argue that less stringent requirements will create a crowded ballot and confuse voters, MacManus said. However, she said, competition tends to generate better voter turnout, and more voters are not identifying themselves as either Democrat or Republican. "We're not doing too well attracting people to the polls," MacManus said. "More people on the ballot makes it more interesting." This week, a poll commissioned by the Constitution Revision Commission showed that 66 percent of voters statewide favor the changes. When those voters were told specifically that the revision would make it easier for independent candidates to get on the ballot, 82 percent said they would be more likely to vote for it. Minor party and independent candidates have had minimal success getting on the ballot. In 1994, two Libertarian candidates for state representative were on the ballot, and in 1996, no minor political party candidates appeared on the ballot for the Legislature, said Connie Evans, bureau chief of election records for the Florida Division of Elections. So far this year, one independent candidate has qualified to run for the Legislature. Election officials have until mid-August to finish verifying petitions. Pinellas Elections Supervisor Dorothy Ruggles said Revision 11 is a good idea, but cautioned that rules need to be in place so only serious candidates will run for office. "There should be definite rules, but they should be the same for everybody," Ruggles said. "Everyone should have to qualify the same way."
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hen Palm Harbor Republican Gus Bilirakis decided to run for state representative just days before the qualifying deadline, he paid a fee and got on the ballot.
