In response to the article written by the state chairs or spokesperson of the Green, Libertarian and Peace & Freedom parties on the effects the top two primary has on third party candidates, I addressed this issue in a May 27, 2010 article for Fox & Hounds.
In that article, I pointed out that third party candidates are free to run like everyone else in the June Primary and should their candidate come in first or second, they, like any major party candidate, will then earn the right to be on the November ballot.
However, in the 2010 election cycle, the last year of the closed primaries, I noted that though they all fielded candidates to run races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and the other statewide races, they barely participated in the races for state legislature, where the primary election reforms were most needed.
Among the twenty state senate districts up for election in 2010, the Green Party fielded ZERO candidates; the American Independent had but one; Peace & Freedom had two; and the Libertarian Party had six.
Among the eighty assembly districts up for election, the Green Party fielded only five candidates, the American Independent Party fielded one; Peace & Freedom had four and the Libertarian Party had eighteen.
Those who did not fully participate in the process under the old rules should not complain about the new rules.