RFK Jr. Pens Substack On How He Will Lead Way On Fixing Ballot Access System

 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. published an op-ed on Substack on Monday detailing how the current ballot access system amounts to a deliberate and arbitrary suppression of the democractic process.

Kennedy argues that ballot access laws for independent and third-party candidates are among the worst forms of voter suppression in the United States today. 

"They artificially prop up the two-party duopoly, even as 63% of American adults agree that the Republican and Democratic parties do such a poor job of representing the American people that another choice is needed," Kennedy writes.

In this well-thought out case for reform, RFK Jr. details the enormous hurdles an independent campaign must overcome, including the collection of over one million valid pen-and-paper signatures, deciphering arcane petitioning rules that are different in each state, and defending its petitions against the inevitable litigation from both Democrat and Republican lawyers.

Some states have massive signature requirements and tight petitioning windows. Democrat and Republican state legislatures can abruptly change their rules  to sabotage any petition drive or third party. 24 states require electors on the petition forms, while 27 require a named Vice Presidential nominee.

"To fix our broken ballot access system, the American people will need to pressure state lawmakers to build a better, more democratic process," Kennedy writes to conclude his Substack. "When I am elected as America's first independent president since George Washington, I will lead the way."

This op-ed comes on the heels of the Kennedy campaign securing its first legal victory against the state of Utah, which agreed to move its ballot access deadline for independent candidates from January 8, 2024 to March 5, 2024. 

Kennedy 24 Press Secretary Stefanie Spear said in a statement, "Fortunately, the Kennedy campaign has a massive base of grassroots supporters and a robust legal team that will overcome these restrictions to get RFK Jr.'s name on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia."

To read Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Substack, please click here.