IL: Independent Libertarian Fights Double Standard in Democrat-Republican Ballot Access Regime

From the Daily Northwestern:

An Evanston resident seeking state office is accusing the Illinois election system of an unfair double standard. The Libertarian Party is not a qualified party in the state of Illinois, so Steve Funk, a Libertarian who is running for State House, must run as an Independent. That means he must obtain at least 2,500 signatures to make the ballot, while his Democratic competitor, Robyn Gabel, needs only 500.
Funk currently has several hundred signatures, but he said he still sees the difference in petition requirements as an unfair and ill-disposed rule.

“It’s pretty clear that the major parties are trying to stifle competition,” Funk said. “They don’t like outsiders playing in their sandbox, so to speak. And it makes it harder for average people to get involved in government.”