If this were a regular election, Green Party U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Gates would need about 39,000 signatures to get his name on the ballot. Because the election to fill the late Sen. Paul Coverdell's seat is nonpartisan, small political parties usually frustrated by Georgia's restrictive ballot access laws are getting a rare chance to face the voters in a statewide race. If this were a regular, partisan contest, third-party candidates would need signatures from one percent of the 3.9 million Georgians registered to vote in the 1998 Senatorial election, according to Chris Riggall of the Secretary of State's office.
Special elections are open to anyone who can pay the qualifying fee.
A lot of people have never even heard of the Green Party. Gates, author of books condemning income inequality, now will be able to inject his ideas into a high-profile race. The Reform Party also wanted to field a candidate, but party chair Anne Merkl says leaders lost track of time and missed the qualifying period. I would have loved to have someone in the race. Oddly, not all smaller parties benefit.