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There are a few practical things that can be done to open up the process for serious third parties:

Simplify Ballot Access. In many states, third parties face horrendous ballot access requirements which are purposely much harder to attain than they are for Republicans and Democrats. While I don't think it's in anyone's interest to make ballot access too easy, lest we subject ourselves to "clown car" ballots election after election, it should be a reasonable and uniform process.

I think Nevada does this well: parties are officially recognized if at least one percent of registered voters are registered with that party OR at least one statewide or Congressional candidate for that party received at least one percent of the vote in the preceding general election. Filing fees are the same for everyone. It's simple, easy and honest.

Invite Everyone to the Debates. Simply put, if a candidate is on the ballot, he or she should be invited to all serious debates, period. I don't understand the reticence on the part of both Republicans and Democrats to exclude third party candidates or even some major party candidates in debates. Sure, they want to keep it "scripted," and perhaps to keep from having to deal with crackpots. I submit any serious candidate should be able to go before the public and be able to ad lib. As for crackpots, they're that way for a reason; no one should feel threatened by them. If nothing else, an all-inclusive debate has the potential for some smashing theater, as opposed to the snorefests these sanitized status-quo debates tend to be.

Bring Back "Fusion" Tickets. On a fusion ticket, a third party can endorse a major party candidate who they feel is in tune with their views instead of running their own. In the late 19th Century this was common practice in the United States, and directly led to the prominence of such organizations as the Populist Party and the Farmer-Labor Party. These parties usually aligned with Democrats, and as a result Republican legislatures ended the practice in many states. While still legal in a handful of states, only New York practices this today with any regularity. Several New York parties, such as the Liberal Party of New York, the New York State Right to Life Party, the Conservative Party of New York and the Working Families Party have successfully endorsed candidates also running as Republicans or Democrats. From a candidate's standpoint, being able to add one of these groups behind his or her R or D helps to build

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