Nine minor party or independent candidates qualify for WA presidential ballot

OLYMPIA — Nine minor party and independent presidential nominations have qualified for inclusion on Washington’s General Election ballot scheduled for Nov. 5, according to a statement from the Office of the Secretary of State. 

“Every election is a chance for every Washingtonian’s voice to be heard. I encourage all voters to use the state’s comprehensive system of trustworthy resources to participate in this election,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs wrote in the statement.  

This election will feature 11 pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates, including nominees from the two major political parties. Each minor party or independent candidate had to gather 1,000 signatures from registered Washington voters who had not previously signed another party’s nominating petition.  

These signatures must be gathered at a state convention, which is held between the first Saturday in May and the last Saturday in July. Any challenge to a candidate's qualification must be raised with the Thurston County Superior Court within five days of notification, according to the press release. 

In accordance with RCW 29A.36.161, the ballot order for presidential tickets begins with the major political parties, ranked by the number of votes received in the most recent presidential election. The remaining candidates will follow the order in which they qualified. 

The minor party and independent candidates appearing on the Nov. 5 ballot are: 

• We The People Party; Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Nicole Shanahan 

• Green Party; Jill Stein, Samson LeBeau Kpadenou 

• Socialism and Liberation Party; Claudia De la Cruz, Karina Garcia 

• Socialist Workers Party; Rachele Fruit, Dennis Richter 

• Socialist Equality Party; Joseph Kishore, Jerry White 

• Libertarian Party; Chase Oliver, Mike ter Maat 

• Cascade Party; Krist Novoselić, James Carroll 

• Justice For All Party; Cornel West, Melina Abdullah 

• Independent Candidate; Shiva Ayyadurai, Crystal Ellis

Ballots will be mailed statewide to registered voters by Oct. 18.