Electoral Freedom Act of 2011 (Proposed)

The Electoral Freedom Act of 2011 is a bill that the North Carolinians for Free and Proper Election is proposing in order to greatly reduce the ballot access requirements in the State of North Carolina for minor political parties and unaffiliated candidates. The bill will:

1. Reduce the number of signatures a new political party would need to obtain ballot access by eliminating the percentage based requirement and instituting a flat number requirement of 10,000 signatures for access to the ballot.

2. Replace the state's vote percentage requirement to retain ballot access, that of which should have the sole purpose of ensuring that Party's listed on the ballot and registration forms are current, with a requirement that a party must have run at least one candidate for a statewide office in the previous election.

3. Reduce the number of signatures Unaffiliated Candidates must obtain for ballot access, by replacing the percentage based requirement with a flat number for each office sough in North Carolina.

Proposed Unaffiliated Candidate Signature Requirements
a. 5,000 for Statewide Office
b. 1,000 for US House of Representative
c. 300 for NC State Senate
d. 150 for NC State House and any county, municipal or other office with more than 25,000 registered voters as of January 1 of the election year.
e. 50 for any county, municipal or other office with 25,000 or less registered voters as of January 1 of the election year.

4. Eliminate the need for Write-In candidate to obtain signatures for ballot access, they would only need to submit a declaration of intent for votes for their candidacy to be counted.

Currently we are seeking willing sponsors and co-sponsors in the North Carolina State Senate and State House of Representatives. Please call your State Senator and Representative and urge them to sponsor or co-sponsor the Electoral Freedom Act of 2011 as proposed by the North Carolinians for Free and Proper Elections, be sure to have them contact us so that we can work with them and help to find more supporters in the NC General Assembly.

Recent Legislation

Electoral Freedom Act of 2009 - Senate Bill 731 (NC General Assembly - 2009-2010 Long Session) - FAILED

The Electoral Freedom Act of 2009 was an altered version of a bill that the North Carolinians for Free and Proper Elections presented to State Senator Jim Jacumin, the bills Primary Sponsor, which would have lowered the signature requirements for new poltiical parties and unaffiliated candidates access to the election ballot. Had the bill became law, new political parties would have only been required to obtain signatures from 10,000 registered voters in the state over the three and one half year timeframe alloted, and statewide unaffiliated candidates would have only been required to obtain 5,000 signatures for access to the election ballot. The bill also would have lowered the signatures percentage requirement for unaffiliated candidates at the district or lower level.

The bill was introduced in the NC Senate on March 23, 2009 and sent to the NC Senate Judiciary I Committee on March 24, 2009 on which day it also gained State Senator Andrew C. Brock as a Co-Sponsor. The bill failed to leave Committee by the Cross-Over Deadline, and therefore died in Committee.