The Libertarian and Green parties each took steps toward greater ballot access this week as they fight to make sure they have a presence in the November election.

  • Libertarian Party is on the ballot in 40 states, plus the District of Columbia
  • Green Party on the ballot in 27 states, plus the District of Columbia
  • Both parties working for total ballot access by November

The Libertarian Party announced Wednesday it had cleared the final hurdles to get on the ballot in New York, giving them ballot access in 40 of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia.

The Green Party, meanwhile, is considering suing Georgia after the state rejected the party's nominating petition to get Dr. Jill Stein on the ballot.

The party said it turned in 1,672 pages of signatures from Georgia voters, but the state's secretary of state said it only found 5,925 valid signatures. The threshold is 7,500 signatures.

The party says it has run into continuing issues with the state. A federal district court judge sided with the Green Party back in March regarding the state's ballot access rules.

What is ballot access?

States determine how a candidate or political party has access to the ballot. In some states, access may be determined by the number of registered voters in that state.

Florida recognizes more minor parties than any other state in the country. To be a minor political party, a group only has to fill out the required paperwork with the state and get it approved. To be a major party, the party also needs to have 5 percent of the total registered voters in the state. Whether the candidate is from a major or minor party, or an independent candidate, all paperwork is filed the same way.

Other states are far more difficult.

In Oklahoma, for instance, an independent or third-party presidential candidate needs roughly 40,000 petition signatures to get on the ballot. The Green Party is currently suing Oklahoma over its "unnecessarily early petition filing deadline," according to the Associated Press.

In Ohio, the filing deadline for independent candidates was March 14, but the Libertarians did not hold their nominating convention until May 27. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has to run as an independent in Ohio because the state raised its ballot access standards in 2013. As a result, the party lost state recognition.

The party submitted 12,000 signatures and only needs to get 5,000 verified.

Both parties vow to have access in all 50 states by November.

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