What Happened in 2004?

In 2004, four third-party and independent candidates were on enough state ballots to win an Electoral College Majority: David Cobb of the Green Party; Michael Badnarik of the Libertarian Party; Michael Peroutka of the Constitution Party; and independent candidate Ralph Nader.

Open Debates commissioned a Zogby Poll to determine whether any of these four non-major party candidates met the criteria of the alternate and truly nonpartisan Citizens' Debate Commission, which requires that candidates either reach five percent in pre-debate polls or attract support for inclusion from a majority of eligible voters to be included in the general election presidential debates.

None of the four candidates reached five percent in national pre-debate polls.  Nader, who attracted the most support and media coverage of the non-major party candidates, averaged less than two percent in the national polls.

However, the Zogby poll commissioned by Open Debates found that 57 percent of eligible voters desired the inclusion of Nader in the debates. (Over forty percent of eligible voters supported the inclusion of the three other third-party candidates, though slightly more eligible voters opposed their inclusion.)

Nonetheless, all third-party and independent candidates were excluded from the 2004 presidential debates.  Both Kerry and Bush opposed the inclusion of other candidates, and the CPD employed the highly restrictive and anti-democratic 15 percent criterion to publicly justify the exclusion of these third-party challengers.

Related Links
What Happened in 1988?
What Happened in 1992?
What Happened in 1996?
What Happened in 2000?
What Happened in 2004?
The 15 Percent Barrier