Upstart political parties get the green light

PROVIDENCE—Rhode Island Secretary of State Ralph Mollis said Monday that he will not appeal a U.S. District Court ruling striking down the constitutionality of a Rhode Island law that restricts the amount of time new political parties have to seek public support in a bid to become a recognized party.

The decision clears the way for the upstart Moderate Party of Rhode Island to begin collecting signatures immediately to become a recognized party, rather than have to wait for January 1, 2010. However, the federal court left intact the portion of the Rhode Island law that mandates the signature threshold at 5 percent of the votes cast for president or governor in the previous election.

“The decision gives third parties a fair amount time to collect signatures while ensuring there is a reasonable demonstration of the support of the people,“ Mollis said in a news release. “Now that the law has been clarified, I look forward to working with all of the parties involved to map out the process new parties will follow in pursuit of becoming a recognized party.“