Minor parties face election law challenges

By Barry C. Burden, University of Wisconsin-Madison Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks on March 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. Mario Tama/Getty Images Once again, the U.S. is entering a presidential campaign with some voters expressing curiosity about independent and minor-party candidates. None of those candidates has a real shot at victory in November, but they might influence the race and politics beyond the election. There was a time about a century ago when minor-party and independent candidates were a prominent feature of the U.S. political system. While mostly limited to victories in state and local elections, they offered perspectives screened out by the Democrats and Republicans, on issues ranging from immigration to trade. Occasionally, a promising presidential candidate will bring issues from outside the two-party system. Wealthy businessman H. Ross Perot won 19% of the popular vote in 1992 on a message opposing free trade and federal budget deficits. George Wallace’s segregationist platform allowed him to win electoral votes in five southern states in 1968. Progressive Robert La Follette picked up 16% of the vote in 1924 while railing against corporate power and corruption. As a scholar of political parties, I find these cases remarkable because the...