In an editorial this morning The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that “fortunately, the federal courts have finally taken aim at one egregious aspect of the two-party stranglehold in Pennsylvania: the absurd procedural and monetary barriers preventing third-party candidates from even appearing on the ballot. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Stengel ruled last week that by requiring minor-party candidates to collect far more signatures than Democrats and Republicans, and to defend them in court at often prohibitive costs, Pennsylvania’s election laws violate the First Amendment right to free association.”
The Inquirer says Pennsylvania “is the only state where the signatures must be verified by judges,” which “has allowed the major parties to mount costly legal challenges to any candidate who dares challenge their duopoly.” In 2014, Pennsylvania “was one of only four states with no third-party candidates on the statewide ballot.” The newspaper says that rather than challenging the ruling, the administration of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf “should work with the legislature to change the law.”