BALLOT ACCESS AND GATEKEEPING OF POLITICAL AMBITION: Evidence from New Jersey and the United States

Abstract

How do institutions at the state level, and within political parties’ function to gatekeep political power and suppress political ambition? To answer this question, we combined two studied that give us a deeper understanding of how institutions shape ballot access and how that effects candidates. The first study was comprised from data obtained from all 50 states and shows us a visual picture of ballot access across the entire country. The second study scoped deeply into New Jersey's institutions and process on the hyper local level with original research in the form of field work that spanned over two years. We found that all 50 states impose a significant barrier to run for office for low socioeconomic candidates. These obstacles are evident when the numbers are listed and personal experience explains the complexity of the barriers. This research contributed to the broader questions within political science that ask about candidate participation and the reasons for the composition of our government officials. My study adds to the lingering question on why most house members or politicians in America are wealthy.