Greens meet Ohio's 3rd-party ballot restrictions

COLUMBUS, Nov. 5, 2014 (AP): The Green Party’s candidate for Ohio governor was handily defeated, though the party still has something to celebrate.

Unofficial results from Tuesday's election show the Greens met new standards to qualify as a minor political party.

The state rules are being challenged in federal court. But under current Ohio law, a minor party would gain automatic ballot status for four years by winning 2 percent of the vote this year, or 3 percent in future elections.

That designation allows the party to bypass a time-consuming process of gathering signatures to qualify as a minor party.
 

Anita Rios

Green Party gubernatorial candidate Anita Rios garnered more than 3 percent in Tuesday's contest.

Future Green candidates must still meet the ballot requirements for their office, but they could run under the party's label.

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Revised: 11/11/14 19:43:12 -0800.