Vermont most candidate-accessible state according to study
March 13, 2015
By Abbey Smith
Before candidates can focus on trying to win an election, they must first get their names on the ballot. State ballot access laws determine the conditions under which a person is eligible to enter the race, but some states make it easier than others to navigate the process.
The Vermont Secretary of State's Office was the most accessible for candidates in the 2014 elections, according to a Ballotpedia study. Louisiana's state election agencies, the Secretary of State's Office and the Ethics Administration Program, were found to be the least accessible.
An accessible state election agency helps candidates by providing the necessary documents on its website, presenting information in a clear format and responding to inquiries in a timely manner.
Depending on the state and the office a candidate seeks, initially getting on the ballot can involve paying fees, receiving the nomination of a party and collecting thousands of signatures. After filing, candidates often have to form committees, hire campaign treasurers and file regular reports on the state of their campaign finances. Candidates with highly accessible election agencies can find a number of resources to help them through this process, while candidates whose states are on the other end of the spectrum may need to stumble through the process on their own.
To determine the accessibility of state election agencies, the study looked into three criteria: "ease of access", "actual information presented" and "speed of access". The ease of access section of the study looked into how openly election agencies presented needed information to get on the ballot. The actual information presented section researched if state election agencies gave candidates direct information rather than requiring them to use calculations or charts, and the speed of access section determined how quickly they answered candidates' questions through email. States could earn up to 31 points in the study. For more information on the scoring process, check out the study's scoring methodology.
The Vermont Secretary of State's Office came in first with a total of 30 points. The agency earned full points in the actual information presented section and the speed of access section, meaning they presented the exact number of signatures required on candidate petitions and responded to a candidate's email within 24 hours. The agency lost only one point in the ease of access section as, unlike its candidate guide, election calendar and reporting schedule, its campaign finance guide required two clicks to access on its website instead of one.
Louisiana came in last with 11 points. Though it earned full points in the actual information presented section for providing the exact number of signatures required on petitions and the exact cost of filing fees, its election agencies provided only two election documents, three clicks away on their website, and never answered an email from a candidate.
Rhode Island's election agencies, the Board of Elections and the Secretary of State's Office, came in second place with 28 points, and Nevada, South Carolina and Tennessee came in third with 27 points. Alabama and Alaska tied in second to last place with 12 points, and California, Kentucky and New Mexico came in third to last with 13 points. To find out how other states scored in our study, check out the full results.
| Ballot access laws determine which candidates and political parties can appear on voters' ballots. These provisions are typically adopted at the state level and often vary dramatically between states. To learn more about ballot access laws in your state, click here. |
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