Is it easy to be president? 259 people have registered to run

Is it easy to be president? 259 people have registered to run (Alberta Times) According to the Associated Press, 259 people across the country have registered to run for 2012...

(Alberta Times)

According to the Associated Press, 259 people across the country have registered to run for the 2012 US presidential election. In addition to "big names" such as Obama and Romney, there are more "nobodies". If you want to run for president, you only need to fill out an FEC Form 2 (Statement of Candicacy) and register with the FEC. Interestingly, this form asks fewer questions than the McDonald's job application form. However, this FEC Form 2 alone cannot put the registrant's name on the ballot, and the registrant needs to submit more documents to the states. During the 2008 election, 365 people registered with the FEC, but in New Hampshire's primary, there were only 42 names. In the general election, 24 names appeared in at least one state. This year's registrants include many people who are dissatisfied with the government and the two-party political system in the United States, as well as many "weirdos." Mike Ballantine of the Pennsylvania Green Party decided to return to his country to run after years of self-imposed exile in Vietnam because he was dissatisfied with the U.S. government, especially the U.S. attack on Libya. Ken Grammer, an independent from Virginia, ran because he was dissatisfied with the political deadlock in Washington and the indifference of millionaire career politicians to the concerns of low- and middle-income people. However, he stopped campaigning in September due to many difficulties. Registered candidates are required to declare to the FEC whether they have raised money for the campaign or spent $5,000, and most people are far from this standard. For example, independent candidate Andre Barnett of Poughkeepsie, New York, announced his candidacy in May this year, but has only raised $20 as of this month.