A federal appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling and restored a hefty signature requirement for third-party candidates seeking to run for certain offices in Georgia.
A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled that requiring third-party candidates for non-statewide offices to submit a petition signed by at least 5% of registered voters doesn’t violate constitutional protections, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. No third-party candidate for U.S. House has ever been able to collect enough signatures to appear on the ballot, the newspaper reported.
A 1943 state law sets a 1% signature threshold for third-party candidates seeking statewide office such as governor or U.S. senator, but raises the signature requirement to at least 5% of registered voters for other offices such as U.S. House or state legislative seats.
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