The pandemic may have robbed Donald Trump of a growing economy. It may have trapped Joe Biden in his basement. But it may yet do something even worse to the Libertarian and Green party nominees: keep them off the ballot in many of this year’s key states.

In 2016, the Libertarian Party was on the general election ballot in all 50 states; this year, it has secured ballot access in just 35. Similarly, the Green Party—which in 2016 had its best election ever by making the ballot in 44 states, with another three states granting the party’s candidate official write-in status—has qualified for the November ballot in only 22 states.

State Sen. Scott Jensen, center, joined Independence Party Chair Phillip Fuehrer, far left; Minnesota Green Party Chair Trahern Crews, center left; and Libertarian Party Chair Chris Holbrook, center right; at a February press conference at the State Capitol to promote minor party ballot access.

The most fertile places for Minnesota's minor political parties to gather signatures to get their candidates on the ballot are lakes and festivals. But COVID-19 has made both off-limits for party petitioners — and going door-to-door isn't a viable alternative.

It's been one week since Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign for president. Since then he has formally endorsed neo-liberal warmonger Joe Biden. Elizabeth Warren has followed suit.

I've heard this song before. My name is Kenneth Mejia and I was a Berner in 2016. After that travesty of a primary I #DemExitedand #GreenEntered, working to build my local Green Party in Los Angels, CA and winning over 41,000 votes running as a Green for U.S. Congress in 2018.

• Loosen the rules for early voting

• Suspend signature gathering

HARTFORD, CT – The Green Party of Connecticut has long been an advocate for more democratic and more representative balloting laws in Connecticut, as we are an advocate for the broadest possible enfranchising of Connecticut residents. Even though we are a recognized minor party in Connecticut, our candidates must often overcome large obstacles in the form of onerous petitioning requirements just to be on the ballot.

TRENTON, NJ – The Covid-19 crisis continues to unravel and put a heavy strain on our society, critical medical care system and overall resources. On March 19th, Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 105, allowing for Democratic and Republican Parties to submit their petitions online, in addition to in person, and the Secretary of State to create an online form that allows voters to submit their signatures on petitions electronically.

The Green Party of New Jersey is a political party seeking ballot access for races this November. We are facing the same dilemmas the two mainstream parties faced recently with regards to collecting ballot petitions and signatures. We have two candidates Madelyn Hoffman, Hoffman For Senate and Craig Cayetano,  Cayetano4council Hawthorne Ward, that are campaigning for the general election on November 2nd, and will be petitioning for our presidential candidate.

PITTSBURGH – Much of politics is based on personal interactions, but in the midst of a global pandemic, such interactions can be potentially deadly. The COVID-19 outbreak has left third parties in Pennsylvania out in the cold, concerned that they may not be able to get on the ballot for key races in November due to an inability to collect signatures.

"People aren't willing to take a pen, or a piece of paper" from a petitioner, national Libertarian Party executive director Daniel Fishman said. Additionally, Gov. Tom Wolf's stay-at-home orders — extended to all 67 of Pennsylvania's counties on Wednesday — have blocked petitioners from attending now-canceled public events or going door-to-door.

NEW PALTZ, NY — Green Party officers condemned the unprecedented legal action by the Democratic National Committee that seeks to prevent the New York State Board Of Elections from exercising its lawful function of ruling on the specific objections local Democrats filed to the petition of Green candidate Steven Greenfield, of New Paltz, in New York's 19th Congressional District. The Party said the Democratic Party had issued a similar legal notice to its candidate Harry Burger in New York’s 2nd Congressional District.

New Paltz, NY – Steve Greenfield, Green Party of New York candidate for Congress in New York's 19th District, was served with legal papers this afternoon by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), by way of its official counsel Perkins, Coie LLC, headquartered in Washington, DC, that name The New York State Board of Elections (BOE), along with Mr. Greenfield, as respondents in an unprecedented attempt by the DNC to have a court prohibit the BOE from continuing with its lawful function of examining the Democratic Party's challenges to signatures on Mr. Greenfield's nominating petition The court filing seeks an injunction prohibiting the BOE from fulfilling its obligation to examine and rule upon the challenge, and to pre-emptively bar Mr. Greenfield from the ballot.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Governor Lujan Grisham issued Executive Order 2020-004 on March 11, 2020, as a timely response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting series of Public Health Emergency orders increasingly restricted public gatherings and interpersonal contact. The stay-at-home order was recently extended through April with the expectation that measures would be in place at least through the middle of May.

PHILADELPHIA – On Monday, March 30, the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) Steering Committee and statewide candidates demanded relief from the Pennsylvania candidate nomination procedures. In a letter to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and legislative leaders, the Green Party asked that “the [nomination paper] signature requirement for the statewide ballot be waived or suspended for the current election cycle” for Green Party candidates in response to emergency circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.