Virtual Third Party Approved in Ohio

Americans Elect, a nonprofit group that has set out this year to secure a spot on the ballot in all 50 states for an alternative to the Democratic and Republican presidential tickets, has gathered 1.9 million signatures from individuals who support the idea.

The group announced last week that it has qualified for the Ohio ballot and is awaiting certification in California, Utah, Hawaii and Arkansas. It already has gained ballot access in three other key swing states — Florida, Michigan and Nevada — as well as in Arizona, Alaska and Kansas.

“The American people are dissatisfied with the two-party system and the limited choice it offers,” Chief Operating Officer Elliot Ackerman said last week at a news conference at the National Press Club.

Ackerman’s father, private investment executive Peter Ackerman, is one of the main financial backers of the effort. He also participated in a similar project four years ago.

The group has come under fire for its status as a nonprofit social welfare organization, which allows it to keep the names of its donors secret. McClatchy Newspapers’ Washington Bureau reported in July that the group had raised $20 million from between 300 and 400 donors, with no contribution exceeding $5 million.

Click here to read more of this story.