Five percent threshold has irked many third parties but the Oregon Independent Party has made mark | Democracy, elections and voting at Democracy Chronicles

From the article, “Oregon Secretary of State Says Independent Party Has Enough Registrations to Qualify for its Own Primary”, by Richard Winger of Ballot Access News:

On August 17, the Oregon Secretary of State released a new voter registration tally, which shows that the Independent Party, for the first time, has enough registered members to qualify for a primary. It needed 5% at that tally and just barely made it. See this announcement from the Secretary of State.

The party has been ballot-qualified since 2007, but, like Oregon’s other parties (other than the Democratic and Republican Parties) has been nominating by convention.

Ironically, the Independent Party will now have a much more difficult time cross-endorsing the nominees of other parties. Parties that nominate by convention are free to nominate anyone who is a nominee of another party. But it is very difficult for two parties that each nominate by primary to nominate each other’s nominees. No one get can on an Oregon primary ballot unless he or she is a registered member of that party. However, Oregon allows write-ins in primaries, so fusion between such parties is not completely banned.

The Independent Party was formed by Oregon voters who wanted to make it easier for independent candidates to get on the general election ballot.