Update on Filings - Arkansas Republican Party Presidential Ballot Tax: $15,000

Update Nov 19: The Arkansas filing period for the Presidential primary ended today. Six GOP candidates filed: Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson. The following candidates did not file: Duncan Hunter, Tom Tancredo, and Alan Keyes. Tancredo cited the high RPA filing fee and that he felt Huckabee should win his home state.
ARRA Editor: The Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA) has been expressing to potential donors that they need money. I guess they decided to fill their coffers using "ballot taxes" - oops I mean filing fees. Since the RPA Charman Dennis Milligan has "personally" endorsed Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, maybe the RPA will give Huckabee an RPA in-state "membership" discount on his filing fee. Hat Tip to Ballot Access News for the following background story and to Stephen a commenter who used the term "Ballot Tax:"

Until 2007, there had never been a party-imposed fee for running in a presidential primary in any state, higher than $5,000. However, the South Carolina Republican Party broke that pattern by setting its filing fee at $25,000 for candidates who filed before May 2007, and $35,000 for candidates who filed later.

Now the Arkansas Republican Party has copied this idea, to a certain extent, and is charging $15,000. The Arkansas Republican Party does not pay for the presidential primary; the fee is just a way for the party to make money. So far, the only Republicans who have paid the Arkansas $15,000 fee are John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson. However, filing doesn’t end until Monday, November 19.

The Democratic National Committee has set a ceiling of $2,500 that any state Democratic Party may charge presidential candidates. Of course, in most states, filing fees don’t go to the parties anyway. In most states they go to election administrators.

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Tags: Arkansas, Arkansas Republican Party, Dennis Milligan, filing fee, GOP, Mike Huckabee, presidential candidates, RPA To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!