How Does the Reform Party Choose Its Candidate?
Pat Buchanan, Donald Trump, Cybill Shepherd, and former Connecticut Gov.
Lowell Weicker are all reportedly considering running for the Reform Party
presidential nomination. How does the Reform Party choose its candidate?
Reform Party presidential candidates must prove their viability by
conducting ballot drives as independents in some or all of the 29 states where
the party nominee is not guaranteed a slot. (The party has ballot status in 21
states where local party representatives have been active since 1996.) Reform
Party leaders will validate candidates based on their progress toward getting
on the state ballots. Since there are no objective standards for approving or
rejecting candidates, the process can be somewhat arbitrary. And because the
party lacks nationally recognized politicians--excepting Minnesota Gov. Jesse
Ventura, who has declined to run, and party founder Ross Perot, who remains a
wildcard--a celebrity, tycoon, or a commentator is likely to be chosen for his
high name recognition.
Next July, the qualified candidates will appear on a national primary
ballot, which will be distributed to any registered voter who requests one.
Votes will be cast by e-mail, phone, and conventional mail. Voters will rank
their top three choices, and the candidate who receives a majority of No. 1
votes will be declared the winner. If nobody wins a majority, an "instant
run-off" will be conducted: The candidate with the fewest No. 1 votes will be
eliminated, and all the No. 2 votes cast on his ballots be elevated to No. 1
votes. This process of eliminating the last place finisher and elevating all
No. 2 votes on his ballots will continue until a majority winner is declared.
(If the No. 2 choice has been eliminated from the run-off, the No. 3 votes will
be elevated to No. 1 votes.) The nomination will be ratified at the August 2000
convention in California.
Only 50,000 people voted in the 1996 Reform primary. If well-known
candidates run in 2000, that number could explode, and the costs of
distributing, auditing, and counting millions of ballots could bankrupt the
party. Party leaders are also anxious about a takeover by a well-known
candidate such as Buchanan, whose supporters could cast enough ballots in the
primary to wrestle the party away from current members. Even a single-issue
candidate, such as a staunch abortion opponent, might outperform an indigenous
Reform hopeful. And Democratic or Republican voters could cast ballots for a
nominee they hope will hurt the other party.
In light of these concerns, incoming Reform Party Chairman Jack Gargan has
said he would like to alter the rules before the primary next year. But current
party leaders support the present process, saying the openness is crucial if
the Reform Party is to grow.
Next question?
Explainer thanks Micah L. Sifry, who is writing a book on the prospects
for America's third parties.
