With respect to the opinion article, Dec. 29, 2023, entitled “Could a third party be the answer in 2024?,” author Doug Gansler of The Baltimore Sun cites that nearly 70% of voters want someone other than Trump or Biden. To answer this question, yes!

The author cites hurdles faced by centrist candidates, the largest being ballot access. Ballot access is fundamental to democracy. Dictatorships allow voters to vote for the incumbent. What sets democracies apart is ballot access. What people might not know is how much primary rules have changed in recent years, making it virtually impossible to win a major party nomination, unless you are chosen by the leadership, not the voters, of that party. Ballot access varies in each state, so the independent candidate faces 50 hurdles, when it comes to ballot access, not one. For example: Connecticut requires 7,500 signatures on a petition; Maryland requires 10,000; New York is 45,000.

Thankfully, Connecticut voters will have a choice in 2024. Residents are organizing to collect signatures for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. because Connecticut voters deserve a choice. A well-respected centrist, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may be the exact remedy to heal the political divide.

Catherine Argento

Groton