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Constitutional Law Keyed to Stone
Williams v. Rhodes
Citation:
393 U.S. 23 (1968)Facts
Ohio’s election laws created a complex system of requirements for new political parties seeking ballot access. These included obtaining signatures from 15% of voters who participated in the last gubernatorial election (433,100 signatures in 1968), filing these signatures 90 days before the primary election, forming a party structure with state and county committees, and holding a primary election. The Ohio American Independent Party, formed in January 1968 by supporters of George Wallace, gathered over 450,000 signatures but missed the February filing deadline. The Socialist Labor Party, which had been on the Ohio ballot until 1948, admitted it could not gather the required signatures. Both parties challenged these requirements as unconstitutional burdens on voting rights and freedom of association. The state defended its system as promoting political stability and preventing voter confusion.
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