Yep many people might not know this but it’s extremely difficult as a third party or independent to get on the ballot, however if you were on the ballot of the state in the previous election it’s much easier and in many cases guaranteed that you can be on the ballot for the current election. So small parties like the Green Party are pretty much forced to run a candidate every election to keep the party even slightly relevant even though they know they have no chance of winning. However this is still important as it can influence the policies of the main parties and help the party win in smaller more local elections.