Opinion ID: 77698
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Signature Requirement

Text: 43 Plaintiffs assert that Alabama's three-percent signature requirement violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments. 10 Based on our precedent, we conclude that Alabama's signature requirement by itself does not impose a severe burden on plaintiffs' rights but is a reasonable, nondiscriminatory restriction. 44 This Court previously upheld a three-percent signature requirement in a challenge under the First and Fourteenth Amendments in Libertarian Party of Florida v. Florida. In Libertarian Party, we considered the constitutionality of a Florida statute requiring the signatures of three percent of all registered voters in order for a minor party candidate to appear on the general election ballot. See id., 710 F.2d at 792. Based on Jenness, we observed that the State had compelling state interests in regulating the state's election process; in requiring a significant modicum of support before placing a candidate on a ballot; and in avoiding confusion, deception, and frustration of the democratic process. Id. at 792-93 (citing Jenness, 403 U.S. at 442, 91 S.Ct. at 1976). We rejected strict scrutiny analysis and stated that the test was whether the three-percent signature requirement was a rational way to meet this compelling state interest. Id. at 793. We added that the test is one of reasonableness, i.e., whether the statute unreasonably encroaches on ballot access. Id. at 793 (citing Anderson, 460 U.S. at 788 & n.9, 103 S.Ct. at 1570 & n.9). In light of the compelling state interest and several factors that eased the burden of gathering signatures, this Court concluded in Libertarian Party that Florida's three-percent signature requirement was valid. Id. at 795. 45 Alabama's three-percent signature requirement is less burdensome than Florida's signature requirement in Libertarian Party. While Florida required signatures of three percent of all registered voters, Alabama requires only the signatures of three percent of qualified electors who voted in the last gubernatorial election, a significantly smaller pool than all registered voters. 46 Moreover, the Supreme Court has upheld even more restrictive signature requirements than Alabama's three-percent requirement. See Am. Party of Tex. v. White, 415 U.S. 767, 788-89, 94 S.Ct. 1296, 1309-10, 39 L.Ed.2d 744 (1974) (upholding Texas's signature thresholds of three and five percent for local independent candidates); Storer, 415 U.S. at 740, 94 S.Ct. at 1284 (concluding that California's five-percent signature requirement was not per se unconstitutional); Jenness, 403 U.S. at 442, 91 S.Ct. at 1976 (upholding Georgia's five-percent requirement); Cartwright, 304 F.3d at 1141-42 (reaffirming Jenness in upholding Georgia's five-percent signature requirement). Based on this long line of precedent, we must conclude that Alabama's three-percent signature requirement is a reasonable, nondiscriminatory restriction that imposes a minimal burden on plaintiffs' rights. 47 As the district court noted, Alabama's statute also has the same alleviating factors that eased the burden of gathering signatures in Libertarian Party. See Swanson II, 340 F.Supp.2d at 1299 & n.3; Swanson I, 219 F.Supp.2d at 1232 & n.4. Specifically, the district court found that Alabama's statute: 48 does not restrict voters from signing petitions based on their party affiliation, nor does it restrict voters who have already voted in a primary from signing the petition. Independent candidates can seek signatures from voters who have already signed other petitions, and there are no restrictions on how many signatures may come from a specific geographical area. Alabama does not restrict how many signatures can be submitted in an effort to meet the 3% requirement, and the state allows unlimited time to conduct the petitioning effort. 49 Swanson I, 219 F.Supp.2d at 1232 (emphasis added). Therefore, while there is a deadline for collecting signatures, there is no required start date or limited time period for collecting signatures. These alleviating factors resonate just as strongly in this case as they did in Libertarian Party, if not more so, and ameliorate any burden on plaintiffs' constitutional rights. 11 50 The ability of minor party candidates in Alabama to qualify for the ballot in the past also bolsters the reasonableness of Alabama's three-percent signature requirement. Specifically, many Libertarian Party candidates met Alabama's signature requirement and qualified for ballot access in both statewide and local offices in the 2000 election. Based on strong election results in the 2000 election, the Libertarian Party gained general ballot access for the 2002 election, entitling it to nominate a slate of both statewide and local candidates in the 2002 election in Alabama. The Libertarian Party's successes in the 2000 and 2002 election cycles in Alabama demonstrate that the three-percent signature requirement does not hinder diligent independent and minor party candidates, and Alabama's election law thus provides a realistic means of access. Libertarian Party, 710 F.2d at 794 (noting that a three-percent signature requirement was not unreasonably burdensome when one minor party qualified its slate of candidates in two election cycles). 51 For all of these reasons, Alabama's three-percent signature requirement is a reasonable, nondiscriminatory regulation that does not impose a severe burden. 12 52