COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Elections in Ohio are traditionally two-party affairs, with the alternative parties putting up candidates for a smattering of races.

But has Ohio moved toward having three regular participants in its statewide contests? Two political scientists told Northeast Ohio Media Group this week that the the Libertarian Party of Ohio might become a credible third party because of divisions among Republicans.

Libertarians this week filed a full slate of candidates for the partisan statewide contests that are up for election in November. Charlie Earl, a former Republican state representative, and Sherry Clark topped that ticket as candidates for governor and lieutenant governor.

The party also put up candidates for auditor of state, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer.

Four years ago, in 2010, the Libertarians also ran candidates in all of those races. That was the first time in decades that a third party had fielded such a full slate of candidates.

It remains to be seen whether all of this year's candidates will get on the ballot. Boards of elections across Ohio will need another week to finish verifying signatures on nominating petitions to determine which candidates actually met the filing requirements. Regardless, says Paul Beck, a political scientist at Ohio State University, the Libertarian Party may well be here to stay as a participant in state elections.

The party has reached a point where it can mobilize to get the signatures necessary to get names on the ballot, he said, and has enough recognition that “they don’t have to start from scratch.”

The party also has its own brand of ideology that can draw people as an alternative to Republicans and Democrats. That ideology, said Kevin Knedler, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Ohio, blends fiscal conservative views on government spending with tolerance for individual choice and lifestyle.

“It’s not the government’s business who loves who,” he said.

Thomas Suddes, a longtime statehouse correspondent who now is an assistant professor at Ohio University, suggests divisions among Republicans could bolster the Libertarians.

“I’m no good at predicting the future, but I do think that the Republican Party has some pretty serious splits in it nationally and in the state,” said Suddes, who writes a political column for The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com.

Those splits were apparent this past year when Gov. John Kasich sought expansion of Medicaid in Ohio. The governor had trouble gaining approval in the General Assembly despite his party having overwhelming majorities in both houses and despite traditional allies, such as small businesses and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, voicing their support.

Medicaid expansion ultimately was approved through the Controlling Board in October.

Those kinds of divisions could help a third party emerge.

“Long range, I think Americans in general like choice in lots of things, whether it’s personal products or choices in how we live or in personal arrangements,” Suddes said. And since Sept. 11, 2001, he said, “it sees like there have been heightened concerns about personal liberty and personal autonomy.”

Ultimately, the success of a third party will depend on whether it can do more than just influence elections. Suddes notes that in the 1912 presidential race, Woodrow Wilson became the first Democrat in six decades to win Ohio, in part because of Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party candidacy. At some point, third party candidates will have to actually win.

“It’s been almost 100 years since we had a third party member of the General Assembly,” Suddes said.

Knedler, the party chairman, views new young members as key to growth of the Libertarians' success. Younger voters, disenchanted with the traditional Democratic and Republican parties, are a strong part of new membership.

“These young people coming up, they’re interested in our party and in our platform,” he said. “At some point, you’re going to see Libertarians elected. The average American is fed up.”

And in the meantime, he expects the party will play a role in the outcome of Ohio elections.

“Where we used to get 1 or 2 percent, now we’re getting 3 or 4,” he said. The party drew about 2.4 percent of the vote for governor in 2010, but nearly 3 percent for attorney general and nearly 5 percent for auditor, secretary of state and treasurer.

“If we start getting in the polls in the 15 to 20 percent range, that’s not necessarily going to win anything, but that’s historic.”