I have received access and will be on the ballot for Sheriff in November 2022.
I disagree with the requirement of a independent having to get a required number of signatures to be on the ballot while the Republican and Democrat party candidates do not have to. I believe the requirement should be considered an unfair or unequal ballot access requirement for candidates who are independent or a member of a minor party. The Democrat or Republican candidates are not required to have the large number of signatures to get on the ballot.
There were 56 men who signed the Declaration Of Independence for the whole United States! A candidate for sheriff in Mobile County is required to get about 5,000 signatures with personal information about the person signing. This kind of information is not required when voting and not required of the Republican or the Democrat candidates. This required information could be used for unscrupulous or unlawful practices, such as intimidation, and many people who might support a candidate in a voting booth might not want their private information made public in a petition for ballot access.
The Republican and Democrat parties put candidates on the ballot after a primary election and in some cases a runoff if the candidate has a challenger. If there is no challenger to the Republican or the Democrat in their own party, the candidate is usually put on the ballot after paying a party's required fee.
I have been talking to some of the minor party's officials about getting their party's candidates on the ballot by getting the signatures required for the candidate as an individual, or the party. To be able to put candidates on the ballot as a party candidatte in future, like the two major parties, it will take about 70,000 signatures. For any of them to be able to put candidates on the ballot in the same or similar manner as the Democrat or the Republican parties they will have to get the 70,000 signatures to have enough to override the protest from the current two parties.
I want to thank everyone who has helped and supported me in this effort and I look forward to working on our safety and security.
Charlie Wyckoff
PETITION FOR INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE BALLOT ACCESS STATE OF ALABAMA
Pursuant to Section 17-9-3, Code of Alabama, 1975, as amended, I, the undersigned, am qualified elector
PLEASE PRINT YOUR INFORMATION CLEARLY AND LEGIBLY THEN SIGN:
First Name: _____________________________________________________________
Last Name: ______________________________________________________________
Street Address:____________________________________________________________
City/County: ____________________________ Date of Birth: ______________________
Signature: ________________________________________________________________