Once all the I’s are dotted and all the T’s are crossed, Georgia voters could have as many as eight presidential candidates to select from in November.
For those who long for more choice, this is a major victory.
Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump will be on the Georgia ballot assuming there are no surprises at their respective conventions (There is still growing talk of some powerful Democrats encouraging Biden to end his campaign for re-election but I don’t see that happening.)
In addition, Libertarian Party presidential nominee Chase Oliver will be on Georgia’s ballot. Oliver has already been a candidate on a Georgia ballot when he ran for U.S. Senate in 2020.
There could be as many as five others for the 2024 presidential election.
Reports have indicated that the Green Party will have its presidential candidate on the ballot in Georgia for the first time. The Green Party did have a candidate on the 2020 ballot for U.S. Senate when a jungle primary was held. With it being a special election, third parties and independents did not have to collect signatures simply to be on the ballot.
On May 7, 2024 Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed SB 189, which says that a party that is on the ballot for President in at least 20 other states is automatically on the ballot in Georgia for president.
This new law puts the Green Party on the Georgia ballot and will likely also mean the Constitution Party (nominee Randall Terry) will also be a choice for voters in the Peach State.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, running as an independent, has collected the necessary number of signatures and is all but certain to be listed as well.
On July 5, the Cornel West independent presidential campaign submitted 29,000 signatures to the Georgia Secretary of State. The legal requirement is 7,500.
According to Ballot Access News, Georgia election officials customarily do a very poor job of checking signatures. The validity is invariably low because the various county election offices don’t have clear guidance from the state. No one has secured a spot on the Georgia ballot by petition since 2000 (Reform Party’s Pat Buchanan).
Perhaps the most surprising of third parties to seemingly qualify is Claudia De La Cruz, the nominee of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The party submitted more than 17,000 signatures with only 7,500 needing to be valid.
Oliver, Stein and Terry each took part in a debate sponsored by Free and Equal Elections. Other candidates were invited to turned down the invitation.
Each of the three who did take part offered unique insights into a multitude of issues. Terry, who is the founder of the pro-life group Operation Rescue, gave a moving testimony about how decades ago he went to an abortion clinic and told women who were entering that he would do anything he could to help them in hopes of preventing an abortion.
One woman told Terry that she had asked God for someone to help her in her situation. Terry said he and his family remained friends with the woman and her child for years until her death.It was a moment that all on both sides of this issue had to have sympathy for.
Not surprisingly, not everyone in Georgia is happy with more choices on the ballot. On July 12, some Georgia Democratic voters challenged the ballot position of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, Claudia De La Cruz, Jill Stein and Cornel West. They say the presidential elector candidates for each of these parties or presidential candidates were not properly nominated. Ballot access experts say there is not much merit in these claims but typically judges themselves don’t fully understand what the laws are in these area.
With each state having different requirements on ballot access, rulings are often made but eventually overturned.
Chris Bridges is the managing editor of The Walton Tribune and a 1993 graduate of The University of West Georgia. Email comments about this column to chris.bridges@waltontribune.com.
