Libertarian lawsuit moves forward

The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of the Libertarian Party, is suing New Hampshire over new regulations to get on the ballot.  This week a judge denied Secretary of State Bill Gardner's request to dismiss the case.

Third-party candidates have to collect signatures to get on the ballot with Democrats and Republicans.  In May Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) signed a bill that requires third-party candidates to collect the required signatures within the year of election. 

In the past the Libertarian Party started collecting signatures more than a year in advance.

"This law stacks the deck against candidates who don’t belong to a major party and really protects major parties from competition and prevents voters from being presented with alternative choices," said NH Civil Liberties Union attorney Gilles Bissonnette.

On the other hand, the Secretary of State requested the rule to minimize the number of invalid signatures, due to death or relocation, which may arise if signatures are collected earlier.