A man who says he\u2019s running for New Mexico\u2019s 1st Congressional District seat next year is suing the secretary of state in an attempt to void laws that make it more difficult for minor-party candidates to get on the ballot.<\/p>\n
That candidate, Alan Woodruff<\/a>, is joined in the lawsuit<\/a> by the state Green and Libertarian parties. Woodruff said in a news release that the court action \u201cisn\u2019t just about getting on the ballot. It\u2019s about the more fundamental principle that the voters are entitled to choices. Those choices should not be limited to candidates chosen by the two parties that have maintained a stranglehold on American politics for 100 years.\u201d<\/p>\n Woodruff said the lawsuit would simplify access to the general election ballot for minor-party candidates. According to The Associated Press<\/a>, the state \u201cno longer recognizes the Green and Libertarian parties as qualified political parties because none of their candidates received enough votes in recent elections. The parties must submit signature petitions to requalify, which is part of a process needed for their candidates to get on the ballot. The lawsuit challenges those provisions.\u201d<\/p>\n Woodruff, who is an attorney, plans to run against Democrat Martin Heinrich<\/a> next year as a Libertarian Party candidate.<\/p>\n In his news release, Woodruff was joined in expressing frustration with the state\u2019s ballot-access laws by officials from the minor parties that are also part of the lawsuit.<\/p>\n \u201cNew Mexico is not alone in its efforts to limit the rights of voters, but its election code contains considerable obstacles that aren\u2019t present in most other states,\u201d said Ken Cavanaugh, chair of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico<\/a>. \u201cThese obstacles are obviously intended to maintain the control of government by parties that are more concerned with their political agendas that with what the people want, need and deserve for a truly representative government.\u201d<\/p>\n