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Third parties file petition to be included on ballots Sept. 14, 2007 By John Greiner http://newsok.com/article/3126099/1189797364 Members of a coalition of smaller political parties and independents filed an initiative petition Friday to make it easier for third parties to get on the Oklahoma election ballot Called Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform, the group filed its petition with the Secretary of State at the state Capitol. The coalition includes independents and members of the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Constitution Party and the Oklahoma Green Party. The coalition wants to significantly reduce the number of signatures required to get third parties on the Oklahoma ballot. Currently, a political party must get registered voters' signatures equal to 5 percent of the total vote in the last general election to be recognized as a political party and have its candidates placed on the Oklahoma election ballot. The number of signatures to get recognition this year would be 43,324. The parties would then have to get 10 percent of the vote in the next general election following their recognition to remain legally on the Oklahoma election ballot. The group filing the petition wants to change the law to require just 5,000 signatures for recognition and ballot access. This was Oklahoma law from 1924 to 1974. Also, the group wants the law changed to require third parties to get only 1 percent of the vote in a general election to remain recognized. To get this proposal on an election ballot, the coalition must obtain a minimum of 74,117 signatures of registered voters in the next 90 days. Click here to find out how you can join the campaign for FAIR and DEMOCRATIC ballot acccess laws.