Yet another example that proves that there is an unreasonable Bar to getting on the Ballot for Public office in Pennsylvania In Maryland it only take 100 Dollars to get on the Ballot for congress and The world does not fall apart cause a couple more people get on the Ballot we should have on the Ballot whomever wants to run so that the People can have freedom of choice Even for Local Offices when 10 Signitures are required hardley anyone runs and rarely is there competition in the Primary So lets make it easier to get on the Ballot When even Barbara Haffer gets Knocked off the Ballot something is wrong with this picture

Outrage-
I agree there needs to be some serious petition and ballot reform in this state. The rules are often petty and arbitrary, having little to do with actually integrity of the election or the petition signers.

In going over the petitions for one challenge this year, I found all sorts of problems that shouldn’t be valid challenges.

1) Person that signs in the “print name” box and prints in the “sign name” box. That’s a ridiculous challenge.

2) Use of a nickname or initials. Some people have REALLY long names that don’t fit in the box. Who really cares if “Robert” signs as “Bob”?
I even saw a fishing “nickname” challenge against a girl who signed as Tina. It turns out, she was actually registered as “Tina” and not “Christina” as the petition challenger assumed. This really puts an undo burden on the candidate being challenged if they don’t have the resources to defend. There should be some REALLY stiff penalties for every false and unsubstantiated challenge (like you automatically have to drop two other signature challenges you’ve made, and the candidate gets to pick which ones).

3) Married women whose voter registration still had their maiden names, or previous addresses. This is a failure by motor-voter and DMV to keep this up to date. In some cases, the record had been updated, but the woman signed using her maiden name without knowing her voter record had been updated. I even saw one with one of those hyphenated names, which is not used consistently on government forms and databases.

4) People who were dropped without their knowledge. I found people, at the address they signed on petition, but in 2009 database, and not the current one.

5) Use of ditto marks, or failure to put the year on the date. Given that the petition period is three weeks long, during a single calendar year, should it REALLY be a disqualifier to write 2/22 instead of 2/22/10? Seriously??

All of these cases penalize voters who sign in good faith using standard social conventions and reasonable assumptions about the integrity of the registration database.

I really that than next time around, we should gather about 5 candidates to get on each ballot, just to piss off the incumbents who won playing these petty games.

The laws definitely need to be changed to help third-party candidates get on the ballot.

Yes, PA needs to change their stupid rules. I totally agree. Yes, some states only need to pay $100.00 to get on the ballot and some only have to put in their name to the dept of State and this allows 3rd parties to have ballot access. NOT in backward PA. While the law is so backward I admit, I have lived with it since I was 19 and I am now 63 and still have to go along with the dumb rules. Trudging around in the snow, rain and freezing cold every two years has created many problems for me from falling, being cursed at, even spit on once by an angry voter to slipping on the ice and breaking my leg but rules are rules, so if you don’t like the rules, change them. I know a fellow that wanted to run for the US Senate as a 3rd party but there was no ballot access for a third party and he wound up not on the ballot but just hit with 160,000 bill on his hands which he is still trying to pay off to the state. Is this what you call Democracy? Not me.
If there are rules on the books, we must abide by them or you will not have ballot access. I do feel sorry for Conner’s as she really got a raw deal but the law is the law. I do agree with David, most people won’t even run for local office so let’s change the dumb law

Gail now you can bake that cream pie you promised me.

Seeking to eliminate Democratic opponents does not bring the word hero to mind.

And if the worldview that a military background had given me had not been extended, I would only be a great candidate for those in the military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned us about.

I would only be another “yes-man” in Congress for endless war, something this country cannot afford.

Here we are again. I know many Dems who will vote for Meehan because they have learned that Lentz is a tool of the mafia that is Pennsylvania Democrats. They even plan to do commercials for him. Get ready to lose, Dems. And you can’t blame Obama. Lentz bullying and dirty politics did this to himself.