Nearly 1,215 Americans are running as independent candidates for the presidential elections on November 3.
According to BBC News, not all independent candidacies registered for the Federal Election Commission should be taken with the same level of seriousness.
While Democratic and Republican candidacies fill the public space, independents have a harder time campaigning. For Jade Simmons, an independent presidential candidate, her biggest challenge is simply to make it known that she exists.
“I know that sounds crazy, given the history of independents! We believe that if we stay up long enough there will be even more disruption to come – that most Americans will see that the current two options are no choice, ”she told BBC News.
While Joe Biden and Donald Trump are on every ballot across the country, independents face many deadlines and state-imposed requirements.
For example, Jade Simmons’ name appears on the ballots in Oklahoma and Louisiana; but in 31 other states she is listed as a written candidate. In other words, the vote will count only if the voters write their name directly on the ballot.
So far, George Washington is the only president to have been elected when he was an independent candidate.