How did Perot make it on the ballot as a legitimate contender? (voters, millionaire)

[knowledgeiskey]

How did he manage to get the chance to be selected for national debates along with D an R candidates? And why isn't Gary Johnson granted that privilege?

[southbel]

Originally Posted by knowledgeiskey

How did he manage to get the chance to be selected for national debates along with D an R candidates? And why isn't Gary Johnson granted that privilege?

How did he finance it or how did he do it? He financed it with loads and loads of his own money. But, as to how logistically he did it, he wasn't granted anything. He followed each state's rules to get on the ballot. Gary Johnson could do the same. For that matter, you could too.

[jacqueg]

There is a procedure for getting on state ballots. Usually it involves having a definite organization (for financial accountability) and a specific slice of the electorate. You'll have to check into your own state's requirements to find out what those are, and then find out whether Johnson has even tried to qualify.

It is definitely easier to get on some state's ballots than others.

Oregon, for instance, was pretty easy (may still be), so we all got to read Lyndon Larouche's platforms in our voters pamphlet for years. I wouldn't call them light reading, but they *were* pretty funny at times.

Edited to add - as for the debates, you'd have to ask the organization sponsoring a particular debate or series of debates what their criteria are. Debates are private functions, not governmental ones.

[Haakon]

Perot spent millions of his own money to get on the ballot, not to many people are willing or able to dig that deep into their own pockets.

RealClearPolitics - 10 Candidates Who Spent Giant Sums of Their Personal Wealth - Ross Perot (Lost)

Ultimately, Perot spent $63.5 million of his own wealth ($97 million in inflation adjusted dollars) on the '92 race

[pghquest]

Money

[foadi]

Even with money it is nearly impossible to get on the ballot in all fifty states nowadays. Americans Elect failed to qualify for the ballot in several states in 2012 and they had unlimited funding - more than even Perot. Ballot access is becoming increasingly difficult all over the country.

[HappyTexan]

Perot used his own money to run a grassroots campaign. He participated in all three Presidential debates and garnered 19% of the popular vote.

Then again this was 1992. Fast forward 22 years with lots of corruption happening in those 22 years.

Ross Perot presidential campaign, 1992 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[DRob4JC]

Clinton wanted him to divide the vote on the right.

He got too popular - probably siphoning off Democrat votes - and then he mysteriously quit. Then he got back in the race again.

Clinton won without a majority. Mission accomplished.

[elan]

''He got too popular - probably siphoning off Democrat votes - and then he mysteriously quit. Then he got back in the race again.''

Can you imagine what the results would have been if the election had been held the day before he quit. He got 19% of the votes AFTER he pissed off some of his faithful by quitting and AFTER his opponents and the media made inroads with the crazy label. I don't know how a Perot presidency would have worked out, but I do know the man was pure GENUIS when it came to our economy. I still think something real serious went down, something like someone threatened to kill his kids. I don't think he realized how much ground he lost, I don't think he would have come back if he had. Ironic, he ends up giving us Clinton. Wow, talk about a blast from the past.

[armory]

An even better question having no real answer is "How did Barack Obama make it on the ballot?".

5 years before he ran for POTUS Perot was a business man and millionaire.

5 years before he ran for POTUS Obama was what???





There is no acceptable answer......