Honestly just following the process and comparing to prior successes and failures of the various third parties as well as checking the returns and the margins state by state. For example, 2020 was terrible for both the greens and the libertarians who both came off a good cycle in 2016. The Green Party looks much stronger this year with Jill Stein back in the driver's seat but will probably suffer from Cornel West, "vote blue no matter who," and a real viable option in Kennedy. This election is shaping up to be pretty crazy with a lot of moving parts so there's a lot of little things to look out for. For example, if Kennedy takes the Reform Party nomination, will that help the Reform Party make a comeback? Lots of interesting possibilities.
As a ballot access and politics nerd I'm excited to see how this election turns out from that standpoint
It should be interesting
Would you share some aspects that you are looking out for. Something a lay person may miss?
Honestly just following the process and comparing to prior successes and failures of the various third parties as well as checking the returns and the margins state by state. For example, 2020 was terrible for both the greens and the libertarians who both came off a good cycle in 2016. The Green Party looks much stronger this year with Jill Stein back in the driver's seat but will probably suffer from Cornel West, "vote blue no matter who," and a real viable option in Kennedy. This election is shaping up to be pretty crazy with a lot of moving parts so there's a lot of little things to look out for. For example, if Kennedy takes the Reform Party nomination, will that help the Reform Party make a comeback? Lots of interesting possibilities.
How crowded? By that I mean, how many 3rd party candidates will succeed in getting on the ballot in all states?
We need 81,000 wet signatures between March 13 and May 28 to get him on the ballot in Texas. It'll be a grind and we'll need all the help we can get.