The following is an excerpt:
If a person as popular and as resource abundant as Kanye West is facing problems for gaining ballot access, one can only imagine the plight of a newcomer who wants to run for the White House.
“There’s only two countries in the world in which there are no national rules for getting on the ballot in the national election. It’s the United States and Switzerland,” says Winger.
And now, in the time of coronavirus, the situation is much more difficult, as the requirement of collecting physical signatures could lead to another surge in the cases.
While there have been some states which have either suspended the requirement for physical election this year, such as Vermont, or have allowed electronic or digital signatures, such as Minnesota, it is still not true for all the states.
Media bias, and debates
Despite all this, one of the biggest obstacles for a new party or candidate is the media. The hostility of the media to the new entrants in politics and use of terms like “spoilers” clip their wings before they manage to fly.
“We’re just not in the narrative of the coverage. So people don’t then take us seriously cause if you’re not on the media, you don’t exist for a lot of people. That’s our biggest obstacle,” said US Green party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins, in an interview with TOI earlier this year.
Times of India
