It ain't only about Obama and McCain!

Tired of hearing about Obama and McCain? Considering all the buzz around these two, you probably think you know everything there is to know about the presidential candidates, right? Well, we bet there IS something you don’t know …like the fact that there are actually other candidates in the race for the White House besides these two! Depending on your state, you may see many names on the ballot come Election Day. It doesn’t take much to get on the ballot on a state wide level. Of course, nationwide is another story altogether. Still, we compiled some facts on these fairly obscure names for your enjoyment. You may not like them better than McCain or Obama but at least you’ll be an educated voter (or pre-voter)!

So, how does someone get on the presidential ballot anyway?

There are actually 50 different ballots: one for each state, so each one will look different on Election Day. Each state decides how the nominating process will work within their particular state. While the Republican and Democratic candidates are chosen through political primaries and caucuses, the Independent and third-party candidates usually have to get a certain number of voter signatures and pay filing fees to get on the ballot. To get on ballots nationwide, a prospective candidate may have to get up to 750,000 signatures and pay up to $8,000 in filing fees, dramatically more than state prerequisites. Some states also have “write-in” ballots where a candidate is not listed on the ballot but if a hopeful contender registers beforehand, voters can write in his/her name on Election Day.

The largest fringe parties are the Green Party, the Constitution Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Independent Party.

Charles (Chuck) O. Baldwin

• Official Party: Constitution Party
• On 37 state ballots
• Background: Author, Minister of Crossroad Baptist Church, Newspaper and Online columnist, Radio Talk Show Host 
• Running Mate: Darrell Castle, an attorney specializing in bankruptcy and personal injury law

Ralph Nader

• Official Party: Independent
• On 45 state ballots
• Background: Attorney, Lecturer in History and Government at the University of Hartford, Author, Consumer Advocate
• Running Mate: Matt Gonzalez, a public defender and civil rights lawyer, formerly Head of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisor, Candidate for San Francisco Mayor in 2003
• Nader ran for President as a Green Party Candidate in 1996 and 2000 and as an Independent candidate in 2004

Cynthia McKinney

• Official Party: Green Party
• On 32 state ballots 
• Experience: Political science professor at Clark Atlanta University and Agnes Scott College. Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives (1992-2002, 2004-2007), Representative in Georgia State House of Representatives (1989-1993) 
• Running Mate: Rosa Clemente, a community organizer, independent journalist, and civil rights activist, helped coordinate first “National Hip Hop Political Conference” in 2003

Robert (Bob) L. Barr, Jr.

• Official Party: Libertarian
• On 45 state ballots
• Experience: Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives (1994-2002), Chair of Republican party of Cobb County, Georgia (1985-1986)
• Running Mate: Wayne Allyn Root, former TV anchorman, author and businessman 

Sources: Ballet access.org, FirstRead.msnbc.com, VoteSmart.org, VoteNader.org, VoteTruth, Baldwin08.com