Our View No third parties allowed?

Our View

No third parties allowed?

Political interests can bring together people who otherwise have little in common. This saying is adapted from a lie in the play The Tempest, by William Shakespeare: “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.” It is spoken by a man who has been shipwrecked and finds himself seeking shelter beside a sleeping monster.

The point here is that while it is typically known that Democrats don’t get along with Republicans and seldom agree unless it is to their benefit they are clearly possessive and protective of their political arena and surely don’t want any other political entity playing in their sandbox.

Now that we understand each other on this topic allow us to cite a perfect example of what we’re talking about and how these two party politicians are making it very difficult for so-called third-party candidates to horn their way into the mix of political game playing.

There is a bill making its way through the Senate and the House and will probably be embraced by Gov. Asa Hutchinson that would make it more difficult for minor political parties to get on the ballot.

Now then, and as expected, the state Libertarian Party is warning these protective politicians on both sides of the isle that such legislation is unconstitutional.

Currently state law requires minor political parties to petition to get on the ballot. They must turn in at least 10,000 valid signatures of registered votes to the secretary of state’s office. The petitions must be turned in at least 60 days ahead of the filing period.

Now then, SB163 would increase that threshold to 3 percent of total votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election. That would be about 26,745 signatures based on the turnout in the 2018 general election.

Libertarian Party candidates have been able to easily get on the ballot each of the past four election cycles by only having to gather the 10,000 signatures of registered voters.

The chairman of the Libertarian Party, Michael Pakko of Little Rock says this bill is a clear effort to suppress competition in the political process and he just might be right. But, by the same token, Arkansans are exactly embracing a third party, whether it be Libertarians, the Green Party or any other. For example, according to Arkansas Code Annotated 7-7-205, a “new” party is one that hasn’t achieved party status. To achieve that status, a party’s nominee must receive at least 3 percent of the vote on the gubernatorial or presidential ticket.

The Libertarian Party’s 2018 nominee for governor, Mark West of Batesville, earned just 2.9 percent of the vote, or 861 short of ensuring that his party would have ballot access in 2020. No other minor party has gained a spot on the ballot for state races since 2014, when the Green Party ran a slate of candidates.

There is a perception that SB163 is an attempt to make playing politics exclusive to a two-party system and outsiders just aren’t welcome to join.