TX: Just Two Choices On Primary Day

A Libertarian Party officer writes in to the Dallas Morning News:

If you voted in the primary elections, the election worker didn't offer you a Libertarian Party or Green Party ballot.  Why? The Texas Election Code prohibits us from holding a primary if our gubernatorial candidate in the previous election cycle did not garner a large enough percentage of the vote. But in the minds of many voters, the primary process is what legitimizes a party. This is one of several ways that Democrats and Republicans rig the laws to keep us marginalized and to ensure that voters do not perceive that they have another choice. It seems that Democrats and Republicans are afraid to compete in a truly free marketplace of ideas.