Reform party petitioning for spot on Utah ballot

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SALT LAKE CITY -- As Republicans duke it out on the east coast and in the south, some Utah voters want to move away from the traditional two-party political system and throw a third voice into the presidential ring.

In 1992, Texas businessman Ross Perot ran as an independent and gave Democrats and Republicans a run for their money. Analysts say the reform party is the fruit of that. Now, organizers of the reform Party of Utah hope to offer voters another choice for president.

"When Ross Perot ran in 1992, there were two states that he came in second in the polls," said state party organizer Jaime Dives. "One of those states was Maine and the other state was Utah."

Dives is circulating petitions to get the reform party on the Utah ballot for the 2012 election cycle. She needs 2,000 signatures from registered voters by Feb. 15.

"We're looking for people who want to sign up to be reform party members or people who want to be active in the party," said Dives. "That will allow us to run our candidate on the election ballot in Utah. It will also give people the opportunity to register to vote as a reform party member."

Dives said contrary to popular belief, most Utah registered voters have no political alliance.

"If you go to the lieutenant governor's office and ask for the roll you'll see that there are more unaffiliated registered voters than there are Republicans and Democrats combined," Dives said.

She believes this group is ready for an alternative to the perceived two-party system in America.

There are more unaffiliated registered voters than there are Republicans and Democrats combined.

–Jaime Dives

"Those are the independents," said Dives. "Not the Independent party, but independent voters who are looking to see what candidate best aligns with their ideals, not what party they're in."

On a national level, that's the type of momentum reform party members are seeking.

"The reality is that it's not fully a two-party system. The two-party system is not enshrined in law," said David Collison, chairman of the National Committee for the reform Party. "There have been both independent candidates and candidates of other political parties who have gained office in local and state races and in legislative races across the country, including the U.S. Congress," he said.

Collison says some states have ballot access laws that make it difficult for third-party candidates to jump into the political ring.

In his home state of Texas, "You have to collect about 50,000 signatures in 60 days to get ballot access as a political party," Collison said. "In some states the laws make it impossible to even petition your way onto a ballot if you're part of a non-incumbent party."

The reform party has been in "rebuilding" mode since 2000 to get ballot access in all 50 states. Collison doesn't believe the party can achieve that this election cycle.

"We believe we have a reasonable chance with the right candidate assisting in the petition efforts to get on the ballot in 40 states," said Collison.

He added that if and when a third party candidate can achieve ballot access in all 50 states, the implications would be profound.

"It's true that the electoral system has been tuned to the concept of the presumption that there are only going to be two major party candidates competing for the election of president when you get to the general election," said Collison. "But there are provisions in place to handle situations where you have more than two major party candidates."

If neither of the major parties gets an absolute majority of the electoral vote and they can't convince the other party's candidate to bow out and award their electoral votes elsewhere, then Congress decides who will be president, Collison explained.

"We presume that Congress will look at the popular vote and decide based on the popular vote," Collison said. "But it's not something we've ever been faced with and it's not exactly a constitutional crisis."

Collison also explained that a candidate can win the popular vote and lose the electoral vote "with the person who came in second place in the popular vote being president." With a three-way race it's actually more likely that the person who ends up getting the presidency would get the most popular vote overall.

So what does this all mean in an extremely competitive election cycle?

Collison says the third party candidate will have to run and govern from the middle of the political spectrum.

"If you get a candidate that comes from the left or the right, then they're going to end up splitting one of the two major party's votes," explained Collison. "And it's pretty much guaranteed to throw the election one direction or the other."

Dives disagrees with the stereotype that Utahns are predominantly Republican.

"There are a lot of them right now who are really upset with the two-party system, and the polarization of the Republicans and Democrats," said Dives. "The fighting that goes on between them just divides us and we get nowhere."

These are the disenchanted voters that Dives hopes to win as she rallies for signatures for a reform party candidate in the 2012 presidential election.