People who are that cognitively impaired can't possibly find their way to the polling place. During oral argument, several justices voiced a hesitancy to strike down dozens of state laws. Yet the anti-fusion statutes rest on such a weak foundation that the New Party might just win. If that happens, minor parties will have to rethink their political game plans, and they will discover that the fusion strategy has several advantages. The first is economy of effort.
Minor parties have a tough time recruiting and financing high-quality candidates.
Rather than scrape the bottom, minor parties could find it easier to give nominations to acceptable major-party candidates. This approach could also prevent embarrassment for minor parties. In a 1996 California congressional race, the Reform Party nearly nominated Mistress Madison, a professional dominatrix. Of course, candidate-poor minor parties can always choose not to nominate anyone for a particular office. Unfortunately, blank ballot spots undercut a party's standing.