Statewide candidates for the Democratic primary and independents for the 2021 Virginia general election now only have to get 2,000 signatures, which can be collected electronically, and they only need to get 50 from each congressional district. The change is the result of a settlement after gubernatorial candidate Delegate Lee Carter (D-Manassas) and Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Paul Goldman sued Virginia elections officials arguing that during COVID-19, asking candidates to send teams out across the state collecting in-person signatures was a recipe for problems.
“Thirty days ago, we said, ‘Look, if you have hundreds of people going around the state collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures, which is what it would require, you’re putting your own staff at risk. You’re putting your communities at risk. People are going to get sick, people will die unnecessarily. This is a fact,'” Goldman told The Virginia Star.
“We started from the premise that political campaigns should not be required to expose people to COVID-19, and the Department of Elections and the court both agreed. This is a big win that will absolutely save lives,” Carter tweeted.
Normally, candidates must get 10,000 signatures, with 400 from each congressional district, and electronic signatures are not allowed. In reality, candidates needed to collect more than 10,000 signatures because some will be invalid. Goldman said that he and Carter did not receive support from mainstream Virginia Democrats in their lawsuit.
“Every one of my opponents all this whole campaign has been bragging about how much they love the minority community, how much good they can do, how historic their candidacy would be,” Goldman said. “I don’t have to talk about that, because in 1985 I actually was the only person who helped [former Governor Douglas Wilder.] 36 years later, I thought maybe these people would actually instead of boasting, do something.”
“They didn’t lift a finger even though we showed that the communities hardest hit [by COVID-19] in Richmond are the minority communities,” Goldman said. “They didn’t want to antagonize the establishment.”
Goldman said the major parties like the high threshold to enter a race, since it is hard for a candidate to get 10,000 signatures to enter a primary or general election without the backing of a party. He said, “Unless you’ve got a lot of money or an army of volunteers, if the political establishment doesn’t help you, you’re not going to get to 10,000 signatures.”
Although the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) is preparing for a convention, not a primary, the new rules don’t apply to Democrats only. A lower threshold means it’s easier for candidates to run as independents or as a candidate from a minor party like the Constitution Party.
“The major parties are using the ballot access to protect themselves. Like [the RPV], that’s why they didn’t want a primary,” Goldman said. “If you’re Amanda Chase and you want to run independently, you would have had a hard time getting 10,000 signatures. But now you have a lot easier time.”
“You can go in the convention, if you lose, come out and you could still collect 2000 signatures in a few weeks. So if [Chase] is serious about wanting two bites of the apple, she can do it,” Goldman said.
The Virginia Department of Elections will publish the new signatures form on its website by February 5. Goldman said the form would ask for the supporter’s name, address, and the last four of their Social Security Number.
“You can just download the form, sign it, and then take a picture of it and send it by email to your candidate,” Goldman said.
“This will make it easier fairer, more secure, and 100 percent safe. So when you have that, my opponents refused to help, what does that tell you?” Goldman asked, “Who are we helping the most? The minority community. They’re the ones suffering the most death and disease.”
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Taber Andrew Bain CC BY 2.0
