Richard Winger

Richard Lee Winger (born August 27, 1943) is an American political activist and analyst. He is the publisher and editor of Ballot Access News. He sits on the editorial board of the Election Law Journal. Winger publishes analysis, statistics and legal information and supports more equitable laws allowing access to the ballot for minor parties.
Winger is widely regarded as an expert on ballot access and election law. Though not a lawyer, he testifies in court cases and legislative hearings and is a source for media and political organizers. He has been published in The Wall Street Journal, Journal of Election Law, the Fordham Urban Law Review, American Review of Politics, California Journal and other publications. He has appeared as a commentator on ballot access on NBC, ABC, CNN, and NPR. Since 1985 Winger has published Ballot Access News,a monthly newsletter covering developments in ballot access law and among the minor parties generally.

A lifelong Californian, Richard Winger graduated from the University of California, Berkeley as a Political Science major in 1966, and attended Graduate School in Political Science at UCLA.

In 1985 Winger helped found, along with several minor party representatives, the Coalition on Free and Open Elections (COFOE). The group attempts to co-ordinate action and provide mutual support among the various minor parties for efforts to liberalize and reform ballot access laws.

Winger has been a member of the Libertarian Party for several years.

Winger has made one run for public office, a 1986 campaign for Secretary of State of California on the Libertarian ballot line. As he was running for the office charged with the administration of elections, the campaign was styled as being nonpartisan, intended to represent the interests of all minor parties. Winger finished fourth among five candidates with 1.5% of the vote.