AL: Newspaper Reiterates Support for Easing Ballot Access Restrictions

Following an initial defeat of the bill in committee, the Birmingham News Editorial Board has reiterated its support for easing ballot access restrictions in Alabama:

There are few times Democrats and Republicans in the Alabama Legislature are on the same page. Maybe when they pass huge pay raises for themselves. But they usually find a way to cooperate when they want to block access to the state's election ballot. Democratic and Republican candidates may hate each other come election time, but they hate third-party candidates and independents even more. That's the bottom-line reason Alabama has one of the most restrictive ballot-access laws in the country.
Republican Cam Ward wants to change that. "Alabama currently has the third-most restrictive ballot access laws in America," he said. His bill to change that has bipartisan backers, including Democratic state Rep. Patricia Todd. The opponents are some of the entrenched Democrats and Republicans in the leadership. They like the ballot laws just like they are because it's practically impossible for third-party or independent candidates to get their names before voters. Lawmakers made things even more difficult in 1995.