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Forward Party CEO Agrees with New Mexico Attorney General:
Minor Party Signature Requirements in the State are
Unconstitutional
Washington D.C. – September 14, 2026
– “Late last week we learned the Attorney General of New Mexico, Raúl Torrez, filed an
amicus curiae in support of the New Mexico Forward Party’s motion for
injunctive relief in its lawsuit, ‘New Mexico Forward Party v.
Toulouse Oliver’.
“Our party’s motion for relief
asserts the state law requiring minor political party candidates to
gather 14,200 signatures each in order to appear on the general
election ballot — even after achieving statewide minor party status —
is overly burdensome and wildly misaligned with the Democratic
candidate requirement of 2,505 signatures and the Republican candidate
requirement of 2,351.
“Simply put, New Mexico’s attorney
general — a Democrat — agrees that asking minor party candidates in
the state to achieve many multiples of what is required of legacy
party candidates is unfair, prevents reasonable competition at the
polls and effectively eliminates challenges to legacy party candidates
in the state. We agree with Attorney General Torrez in his assessment
that these burdensome signature requirements are not only unfair, but
also unconstitutional.
“The American people are beginning
to understand that Democrats and Republicans alike have a vested
interest in maintaining their duopoly on American politics. Wrestling
power from one another, back and forth, is more closely aligned with
the theatrics associated with the lead up to a WWE championship match
than representative, consensus-based governance intended by the
framers of our constitution. The people of New Mexico deserve choices
in who and how they are governed. The easiest way to provide
additional candidate options is to even the playing field and equalize
signature requirements regardless of party affiliation.
“We at the Forward Party are
grateful to Attorney General Torrez for his courage in filing this
historic amicus curiae and look forward to the full resolution of this
issue — with Forward Party candidates fully present and on the ballot
this November.”
— Forward Party CEO, Lindsey
Williams Drath
About Forward Party
The Forward Party is bringing
moderates, conservatives, and progressives together to heal our
political divisions, find our shared ground, and create a brighter
future for America. Forward Party candidates are accountable to the
voters, and they will focus on solutions, not partisan fighting, in
order to serve their constituents better.
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