This is a great op-ed on Georgia's horrible ballot access laws:

Before 1922 the government didn't print ballots. Voters had to bring in their own, and often their political party of choice was kind enough to provide them with pre-printed ballots.

After 1922 the state provided ballots, and initially there were no restrictive rules to keep minor parties from being listed. As long as the individual seeking to run for office was certified as a qualified candidate by election officials, he or she would be placed on the ballot.

Things changed in 1943 when then-governor Herman Talmadge, fearing threats from both the minority Republicans and the Communist Party (hard to say which he feared more), prodded the legislature to tighten up ballot access. They passed a law that required independent candidates to produce a petition bearing the signatures of 5 percent of the registered voters in their district (or 5 percent of the voters in the whole state if they were running for statewide office) to qualify to appear on a ballot in Georgia.

Hat tip to Sasquatch.