With all the talk of third party candidates this year, the difficulty of such a proposition sometimes gets lost amid the noise. The Texas Tribune reported this week that a third party prospect would have to face almost impossibly high hurdles in the Lone Star State. The main obstacle: The deadline has already passed. In fact, the date to apply was a month ago, and no independent candidate filed to run by the allotted deadline. Another rule required candidates to announce their intentions last December.
If a dark horse wanted to enter the race at this point, they would have to wage a costly legal battle against the state’s election policies. And independent candidates aren’t known for having loads of extra cash.
Texas has some of the most stringent electoral rules in the US. Even so, some experts still believe the strict election laws in Texas are open to a successful legal challenge.