Ballot Access laws for ranked ballot systems?

[Steve Eppley]

Laws regulating access to the ballot according to the prior support
(demonstrated in previous elections) for a party or candidate assume
a "vote for only one" ballot.  I think we would be negligent not to
explore the changes needed to make ballot access laws reasonable when
ranked ballots (and approval ballots?) are used.

The most obvious proposal is to count voters' first choices as
demonstrating candidate support, but this measurement appears quite
flawed.  Another possibility is to count the voters who ranked the
candidate, or the party, at least as high as the winner (and
automatically grant access to the winner, or the winner's party). 

I'd be interested in hearing about the ballot access laws in
countries experienced with ranked ballot systems, like Australia.

Before going overboard with proposals, we ought to consider what
criteria are involved.  

Presumably, there's a public interest in keeping Mickey Mouse and
his ilk off the ballot, so some threshold test seems reasonable if
it isn't unduly restrictive.

There's probably a public interest in allowing all "viable"
candidates onto the ballot.  There may be a public interest in
allowing nonviable candidates who nevertheless have significant
support onto the ballot.  

On the other hand, some will argue that there's an overarching need 
to minimize the possibility of "rampant factionalism," something which
worried the Founding Fathers and is still used as a bugaboo today to
undermine many kinds of reform.  This "no rampant factionalism"
standard deserves our scrutiny, preferably in a separate message
thread since it relates not just to ballot access but also to election 
methods and government structures.

---Steve     (Steve Eppley    seppley at alumni.caltech.edu)