| This issue was originally printed on white paper. |
On May 23, the North Carolina House Election Law Committee passed SB 10. The bill had already passed the Senate. It will get a vote in the full House soon. It makes these improvements:
1. The number of signatures for independent candidates for statewide office goes from 2% of the number of registered voters, to 2% of the last gubernatorial vote.
2. The deadline for new party petitions moves from May to mid-July.
3. If a party loses "qualified" status, voters may still register into it.
4. The petition to qualify a party will no longer say that the signers "intend to organize" the new party whose petition they are signing.
Although the number of signatures for independent candidates (which now will match the number for new parties) is still outrageously high (no state except California requires more), this is the lowest independent candidate petition requirement in the state's history. The original law, passed in 1915, provided that independent candidates needed 10% of the last gubernatorial vote. In 1935 this was raised to an absurd 25% of the last vote. It was lowered back to 10% in 1973, and lowered again in 1981 to 2% of the number of registered voters, after the 10% had been declared unconstitutional in 1980. In the entire history of the state, Ross Perot in 1992 is the only person who ever completed an independent statewide petition.
The Washington legislature's special session ended on May 24, and still no bill, revising the blanket primary, passed. However, a second special session begins on May 29. In the meantime, a federal judge now has the authority to design a new primary system for the state, although he may wait for a while.
On May 8, the Alaska legislature passed HB 193, as amended by the Senate on May 6. Although the bill's main purpose is to revise the blanket primary, it has the incidental effect of improving the deadline for non-presidential minor party and independent candidate petitions. Under the old law, such petitions were due June 1 because Alaska placed such candidates on the primary ballot. Under HB 193, such candidates would no longer run in the primary, and their petition deadline becomes primary day, which is the 4th Tuesday in August.
No change was made to the presidential petition deadline, which has always been in early August. It is somewhat peculiar that the presidential deadline is now approximately two weeks earlier than the non-presidential deadline.
The bill reinstates separate primary ballots for each qualified party. Each qualified party must tell the state, no later than September 1 of an odd year, whether it desires to let independents vote in its primary, and whether it desires to let members of other parties vote in its primary. Individuals who support autonomy for political parties are pleased with the bill.
SB 777, which makes it easier for a party to remain on the ballot, passed the House on May 21. Currently, a party must poll 1% of the vote for any statewide race, every two years. While that sounds easy, in some mid-term years, governor is the only office on the ballot, and when there are four or five minor parties on the ballot, this becomes a tough hurdle. Furthermore, a party may not want to run for Governor. The bill provides that if a party has registration of one-half of 1%, it can remain qualified without meeting the vote test.
On May 11, Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon signed SB 329, which moves the independent and minor party petition candidate deadlines from July 15 to June 30. Indiana appears to be the only state which has made ballot access more difficult in 2001. Indiana already has one of the most restrictive ballot access laws; it was one of only seven states in which Ralph Nader failed to qualify last year. The deadline change deprives activists of the opportunity to get signatures over the July 4 holiday, when it's easy to find large crowds in public spaces. Indiana activists lobbied against this bill, to no avail. The new deadline is probably unconstitutional, for presidential petitions.
1. California: AB 980 would make it illegal to pay people to get signatures, or to register people into parties, on a per-signature basis. However, it has been amended to cover only workers who have earned at least $5,000 from a particular employer. It has passed the Elections Committee and is in Appropriations.
2. Florida: H1925, which would have abolished filing fees for certain minor party candidates, passed the House on April 25, but died in a Senate committee on May 4. Florida filing fees are the highest in the nation. The bill would have abolished these fees, for the nominees of minor parties that had polled 1% of the statewide vote at the last election.
3. Oregon: SB 747, which changes the definition of "major party" (a party that nominates by primary instead of by convention), from a group which polled 15% at both of the last two elections, to one which has registration of 5%, passed the State Senate on May 24.
On May 10, the 9th circuit used the December 12, 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision Bush v Gore to settle an election dispute from the Northern Mariana Islands. Charfauros v Board of Elections, 99-15789. This is significant, because some observers thought that Bush v Gore could not be used as a precedent. They have now been proved wrong. The Charfauros decision was written by Judge Kim Wardlaw, a Clinton appointee; and signed by Judge Stephen Trott, a Reagan appointee, and Procter Hug, a Carter appointee.
The island of Rota elected a School Board member on November 7, 2000. Both major parties challenged a handful of voters before the election. Each party believed that the people on the list no longer lived on Rota. The Board of Elections handled the Democratic challenges before the election, and disqualified some Republican voters, without giving them a chance to appeal. The Board didn't act on the Republican Party's challenges until after the election.
Four of the Republican voters who were not permitted to vote, sued. The local court ruled in their favor, and let them vote late. This changed the election outcome. Three of those same voters then sued the Rota Board of Elections for intentional infliction of emotional distress, and for violating their civil rights. The local court ruled that the individual Board members were immune.
The voters appealed to the Supreme Court of the Northern Mariana Islands, which ruled that the Election Board members are not immune. The Board then appealed to the 9th circuit (which reviews decisions of the Supreme Court of the Northern Mariana Islands). The 9th circuit agreed that the Board members did violate the Constitutional rights of the Republican voters, and that therefore they might be liable for damages.
To support its belief that the Board did violate the constitution, the 9th circuit cited the language from Bush v Gore about the "equal dignity owed to each voter."
On May 24, the Georgia Libertarian Party and some of its potential candidates for U.S. House of Representatives in 2000 filed a federal lawsuit against the ballot access law. Cartwright v Barnes, 1:01-cv-1335, Atlanta. The case will not be easy to win, since the Georgia law was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1971, in a case called Jenness v Fortson.
Georgia requires a petition signed by 5% of the registered voters, for any candidate for the U.S. House, unless the candidate is a nominee of a party which polled 20% of the vote for President in the entire U.S., or 20% for Governor of Georgia, in the last election. No one has completed this petition (for U.S. House) since 1964, when an independent candidate did it. Back then, notarization of signatures was not required, and the petition was due in October of the election year. One independent candidate got on the ballot in 1982, but because of late reapportionment that year, a court order cut the normal number of signatures to only one-fourth of the usual requirement.
Evidence to be presented in the lawsuit includes these points:
1. Georgia's Democratic-Republican monopoly on the ballot for U.S. House varies from normal U.S. practice. For the last set of districts, drawn after the 1990 census for election years 1992-2000, 92% of the districts outside Georgia had at least one minor party or independent candidate on the ballot, at least once. But Georgia, in that decade, had no such candidates in any of its 11 districts.
2. Minor party and independent candidates for the U.S. House sometimes win. At 100 regularly-scheduled U.S. House elections during the 20th century, a candidate who was not the Democratic or Republican nominee won. In addition, minor party or independent nominees won 7 special elections for U.S. House during the 20th century. Also, on 13 occasions, a minor party member who had two nominations (his own minor party's nomination, plus the nomination of a major party) was elected. See below for these lists.
This list shows that minor party and independent members of the U.S. House have long been a significant group, and that Georgia is excluding a "class of candidates" for Congress from its ballot. According to the Feb. 28, 2001 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Cook v Gralike, discrimination against a "class of candidates for Congress" is unconstitutional.
3. In all U.S. history, no one has ever overcome a ballot access hurdle for U.S. House, greater than 13,000 signatures. Yet in the average district in Georgia in 2002, almost 15,000 signatures are required. Only four times in history has any U.S. House candidate overcome even a 10,000 signature requirement. They were Frazier Reams in Ohio in 1954 (12,920); Steve Kelly in Montana in 1994 (10,186); Steven Wheeler in California in 1996 (10,191); and Jack Gargan in Florida in 1998 (12,141). Gargan was a Reform candidate; the others were independents.
Three states have passed bills to eliminate punchcard ballots. Florida's S 1118, signed May 10, takes effect in 2002. Georgia's SB 213 was signed on April 18; it provides for a uniform voting system by 2004. Indiana's SB 268 was signed in April; it eliminates punchcard ballots by 2003 if funding is available.
Great Britain holds a parliamentary election on June 7. There are 659 seats to be filled. A total of 3,302 candidates are on the ballot; the average district has 5 candidates on the ballot. Three parties, Labor, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat, have candidates on the ballot in virtually all districts. A fourth party, the Independence Party, has candidates in a majority of the districts; and the Green Party has candidates in 22% of the districts.
The filing deadline was May 22, only 16 days before the election. Ballot access procedures were identical for all candidates: payment of a free (which is returned if the candidate polls 5%) and a slight petition.
1. California: on May 24, the State Supreme Court upheld state law requiring that mass mailings (by candidates) disclose who paid for the mailing. Griset v FPPC, S077219. The case did not resolve the validity of laws requiring disclosure, for mass mailings paid for by someone else.
2. D.C.: on May 21, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Marlin v Bd. of Elections, 00-1599, over whether the First Amendment protects a voter who wears a campaign button while at a polling place. The lower court had upheld the ban.
3. Illinois: on May 7, the 7th circuit heard arguments in Tobin for Governor v Illinois Bd. of Elections, 00-3097, over whether members of an Election Board, who were appointed because of their loyalty to one of the major parties, can be held personally liable for removing minor party candidates from the ballot.
4. Louisiana: back on September 6, 2000, a lawsuit was filed against a law which won't permit independent candidates (for office other than president) to have "independent" next to their names. This case, Rosenthal v McKeithan, has not advanced, because the federal judge assigned to the case, Judge Ralph Tyson, hasn't disposed of any of the routine motions pending in the case, even though they have been before him for four months.
5. Utah: the state is still fighting to gain a fourth seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Last month it filed a new federal lawsuit, challenging census bureau methodology. State of Utah v Evans, 2:01-cv-292G. The state is about to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review its first case as well; that one challenged the government's policy of not counting overseas citizens for reapportionment, unless they are government employees or military.
5. Virginia: on May 14, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Wood v Quinn, 00-1455, over the state's requirement that statewide petitions include 400 signatures from each congressional district.
The Virginia Election Board has tallied write-in votes for John Hagelin, Natural Law presidential candidate last year. The Board says he received 171 votes. This is the first time in the history of government-printed ballots that any candidate for president in Virginia has ever received an official tally of write-in votes.
The State didn't permit write-ins for president until 1997. In 1997 the legislature authorized them, and provided that write-ins candidates who want a tally, should file a declaration of write-in candidacy. Hagelin failed to get on the ballot last year, so he filed the paperwork to have his write-ins tallied. However, it took the State Board of Elections some time before it provided the tally.
In New Hampshire, which has no procedure for a write-in candidate to file, the state nevertheless tallied 55 votes for Hagelin. This is the first time since 1956 that New Hampshire has tallied write-ins for any presidential candidate at a general election. At the November 1996 election, the state had refused to provide a Ralph Nader write-in tally.
Pennsylvania, for the November 2000 election, refused to provide a write-in tally for any candidate, even though it had provided one for Ralph Nader in November 1996. However, Tim San Souci, a researcher, visited the Bureau of Elections office in Harrisburg recently, and examined the 2000 returns from the counties. Some counties in Pennsylvania count write-ins; others do not. San Souci found county reports of 40 write-ins for Hagelin, 12 for James Harris (Socialist Workers presidential candidate), 1 for Monica Moorehead (Workers World candidate), and 1 for David McReynolds (Socialist candidate). The Pennsylvania write-ins are not "official", so none of the influential publications which record the final national vote for president, will include these Pennsylvania figures.
The Federal Elections Commission is about to release its final tally of how many votes each presidential candidate received in 2000 (except Pennsylvania write-ins won't be included). See http://www.fec.gov/elections.htmlB.A.N. website note: the FEC results will also be available here in a more convenient form, as soon as the webmaster gets around to doing the conversion work.....
Congressman Ron Paul expects to introduce his ballot access and debates bills bills this month.
Congressmen Robert Ney and Steny Hoyer announced on May 10 that they will introduce a bill together, to prohibit punch card ballots, and authorize federal funds to the states to replace old voting equipment. Ney is chair of the House Administration Committee, and Hoyer is the ranking Democrat on the committee, so this bill is likely to make progress. The House Administration Committee has jurisdiction over election bills. The bill probably will be introduced in mid-June.
The Libertarian Party has finished its 2002-2004 petition in North Carolina, and its 2002 petition in Nebraska. It has 5,000 signatures on its Ohio party petition, and has about to start in Michigan and Tennessee.
Arkansas Congressman Asa Hutchinson plans to resign from Congress in a few months, so there will be a special election to fill his seat. Under current Arkansas law, there is no means for a new party to get on the ballot in such an election. Petitions to create a new party cannot legally be circulated in odd years. The Libertarian Party plans to nominate a candidate for that seat, and to file a lawsuit to force the state to create such a procedure. The party will also point out that the number of signatures needed to create a new party (3% of the last gubernatorial vote) was declared unconstitutional in 1996, yet the state has never revised the law.
The May 1 B.A.N. said that, in the 20th century, there had been only five elections in which the Democratic and Republican totals for U.S. House were so close, that the difference between them was less than 1% of the total vote cast. Actually, there were 7 such elections. In addition to 2000, 1998, 1996, 1952, and 1950, the years 1910 and 1914 should be listed.
| YEAR | STATE | DISTRICT | NAME | PARTY LABEL(s) | REAL AFFILIATION (if different than label) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | Pennsylvania | 10 | George Howell | Anti-Machine | |
| 1910 | Georgia | 8 | Samuel J. Tribble | Independent Democrat | Democratic Party |
| Wisconsin | 5 | Victor L. Berger | Social Democrat | Socialist Party | |
| 1912 | California | 1 | William Kent | Progressive | |
| Illinois | 10 | Charles M. Thomson | Progressive | ||
| Illinois | 12 | William H. Hinebaugh | Progressive | ||
| Michigan | 10 | Roy O. Woodruff | Progressive | ||
| New York | 19 | Walter M. Chandler | Progressive | ||
| Pennsylvania | 24 | Henry W. Temple | Washington | Progressive Party | |
| Pennsylvania | 28 | Willis J. Hulings | Washington | Progressive Party | |
| Washington | At-Large | James W. Bryan | Progressive | ||
| Washington | At-Large | Jacob A. Falconer | Progressive | ||
| 1914 | California | 1 | William Kent | Independent, Progressive | |
| California | 6 | John A. Elston | Progressive | ||
| California | 10 | William D. Stephens | Progressive | ||
| Illinois | 11 | Ira C. Copley | Progressive | ||
| Louisiana | 3 | Whitmell P. Martin | Progressive | ||
| Minnesota | 10 | Thomas D. Schall | Progressive | ||
| New York | 19 | Walter M. Chandler | Progressive | ||
| New York | 12 | Meyer London | Socialist | ||
| 1916 | Louisiana | 3 | Whitmell P. Martin | Progressive | |
| Massachusetts | 9 | Alvin T. Fuller | Independent | Independent Republican | |
| Minnesota | 10 | Thomas D. Schall | Progressive | ||
| New York | 12 | Meyer London | Socialist | ||
| Pennsylvania | 30 | M. Clyde Kelly | Washington | Progressive Party | |
| 1918 | Minnesota | 8 | William L. Carss | Independent | Union Labor Party |
| Wisconsin | 5 | Victor L. Berger | Socialist | ||
| 1920 | New York | 12 | Meyer London | Socialist | |
| Pennsylvania | 25 | Milton W. Shreve | Prohibition, Independent | Republican Party | |
| 1922 | Minnesota | 7 | Ole J. Kvale | Independent | Farmer-Labor Party |
| Minnesota | 9 | Knut Wefald | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Wisconsin | 5 | Victor L. Berger | Socialist | ||
| 1924 | Minnesota | 7 | Ole J. Kvale | Farmer-Labor | |
| Minnesota | 8 | William L. Carss | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Minnesota | 9 | Knud Wefald | Farmer-Labor | ||
| New York | 20 | Fiorello H. La Guardia | Socialist, Liberty Bell | Independent Republican | |
| Wisconsin | 5 | Victor L. Berger | Socialist | ||
| 1926 | Minnesota | 7 | Ole J. Kvale | Farmer-Labor | |
| Minnesota | 8 | William L. Carss | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Wisconsin | 5 | Victor L. Berger | Socialist | ||
| 1928 | Minnesota | 7 | Ole J. Kvale | Farmer-Labor | |
| 1930 | California | 3 | Charles F. Curry, Jr. | write-in | Republican Party |
| Minnesota | 7 | Paul J. Kvale | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Tennessee | 1 | Oscar B. Lovette | Independent | Independent Republican | |
| 1932 | Minnesota | At-Large | Henry Arens | Farmer-Labor | |
| Minnesota | At-Large | Magnus Johnson | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Minnesota | At-Large | Paul J. Kvale | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Minnesota | At-Large | Ernest Lundeen | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Minnesota | At-Large | Francis H. Shoemaker | Farmer-Labor | ||
| 1934 | Minnesota | 3 | Ernest Lundeen | Farmer-Labor | |
| Minnesota | 7 | Paul J. Kvale | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Minnesota | 9 | Richard T. Buckler | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Wisconsin | 1 | Thomas R. Amlie | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 2 | Harry Sauthoff | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 3 | Gardner R. Withrow | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 7 | Gerald J. Boileau | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 8 | George J. Schneider | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 9 | Merlin Hull | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 10 | Bernard J. Gehrmann | Progressive | ||
| 1936 | Minnesota | 3 | Henry G. Teigan | Farmer-Labor | |
| Minnesota | 5 | Dewey W. Johnson | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Minnesota | 7 | Paul J. Kvale | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Minnesota | 8 | John T. Bernard | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Minnesota | 9 | Richard T. Buckler | Farmer-Labor | ||
| Wisconsin | 1 | Thomas R. Amlie | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 2 | Harry Sauthoff | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 3 | Garnder R. Withrow | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 7 | Gerald J. Boileau | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 8 | George J. Schneider | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 9 | Merlin Hull | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 10 | Bernard J. Gehrmann | Progressive | ||
| 1938 | Minnesota | 9 | Richard T. Buckler | Farmer-Labor | |
| Wisconsin | 9 | Merlin Hull | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 10 | Bernard J. Gehrmann | Progressive | ||
| 1940 | Minnesota | 9 | Richard T. Buckler | Farmer-Labor | |
| Tennessee | 5 | J. Percy Priest | Independent | Democratic Party | |
| Wisconsin | 2 | Harry Sauthoff | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 9 | Merlin Hull | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 10 | Bernard J. Gehrmann | Progressive | ||
| 1942 | Minnesota | 9 | Harold C. Hagen | Farmer-Labor | |
| Wisconsin | 2 | Harry Sauthoff | Progressive | ||
| Wisconsin | 9 | Merlin Hull | Progressive | ||
| 1944 | Wisconsin | 9 | Merlin Hull | Progressive | |
| 1948 | New York | 18 | Vito Marcantonio | American Labor | |
| 1950 | Ohio | 9 | Frazier Reams | Independent | |
| 1952 | Ohio | 9 | Frazier Reams | Independent | |
| 1958 | Arkansas | 5 | Thomas Dale Alford | Independent | Democratic Party |
| 1962 | Tennessee | 5 | Richard Fulton | Independent | Democratic Party |
| 1972 | Massachusetts | 9 | John Joseph Moakley | Independent | Democratic Party |
| 1980 | New Mexico | 2 | Joseph R. Skeen | write-in | Republican Party |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | Thomas M. Foglietta | Foglietta | Democratic Party | |
| 1982 | California | 43 | Ron Packard | write-in | Republican Party |
| 1990 | Vermont | At-Large | Bernard Sanders | Independent | |
| 1992 | Vermont | At-Large | Bernard Sanders | Independent | |
| 1994 | Vermont | At-Large | Bernard Sanders | Independent | |
| 1996 | Missouri | 8 | Jo Ann Emerson | Independent | Republican Party |
| Vermont | At-Large | Bernard Sanders | Independent | ||
| 1998 | Vermont | At-Large | Bernard Sanders | Independent | |
| 2000 | Vermont | At-Large | Bernard Sanders | Independent | Vermont Progressive Party |
| 2000 | Virginia | 5 | Virgil H. Goode, Jr. | Independent |
In addition to the above-mentioned winners in regular elections, there were also seven special elections during the 20th century, in which a minor party or independent was elected: (1) California, Henry S. Benedict, Progressive, 10th district, 1916; (2) North Dakota, John M. Baer, Non-Partisan League, 1st district, 1917; (3) Minnesota, Oscar E. Keller, indpendent, 4th district, 1919; (4) Wisconsin, Victor Berger, Socialist, 5th district, 1919; (5) Minnesota, Paul J. Kvale, Farmer-Labor, 7th district, 1929; (6) New York, Leo Isaacson, American Labor, 24th district, 1948; (7) New York, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., Liberal, 20th district, 1949.
| YEAR | STATE | DISTRICT | NAME | PARTY LABEL (candidate's own party) | OTHER PARTY LABELS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | California | 9 | Charles H. Randall | Prohibition | Democratic |
| 1916 | California | 9 | Charles H. Randall | Prohibition | Democrat, Republican, Progressive |
| 1918 | California | 9 | Charles H. Randall | Prohibition | Democratic |
| 1936 | California | 4 | Franck R. Havenner | Progressive | Democratic |
| 1938 | New York | 20 | Vito Marcantonio | American Labor | Republican |
| 1940 | New York | 20 | Vito Marcantonio | American Labor | Republican |
| 1942 | New York | 20 | Vito Marcantonio | American Labor | Republican, Democratic |
| 1944 | New York | 18 | Vito Marcantonio | American Labor | Republican, Democratic |
| 1946 | New York | 18 | Vito Marcantonio | American Labor | Democratic |
| 1978 | New York | 1 | William Carney | Conservative | Republican |
| 1980 | New York | 1 | William Carney | Conservative | Republican, Right to Life |
| 1982 | New York | 1 | William Carney | Conservative | Republican, Right to Life |
| 1984 | New York | 1 | William Carney | Conservative | Republican, Right to Life |
On May 15, Pennsylvania held a special congressional election to fill the vacant seat in the 9th district. The unofficial results were: Republican 55,549 (51.91%); Democratic 47,049 (43.96%); Green 4,420 (4.13%). The district includes 10 and one-half mostly rural counties in south central Pennsylvania. This was the first time this district had had a minor party or independent candidate on the ballot since it was created in 1992. In 2000 and 1998, there had been only one candidate (a Republican) in the race.
There are two more special congressional elections in June. The California 32nd district election on June 5 is between a Democrat, a Republican, a Green, and a Reform candidate.
The Virginia 4th district election on June 19 will be between a Democrat, Republican, Green and independent. The independent, Anthony Zevgolis, is the Mayor of Hopewell and was the Republican nominee for this seat in 1992 and 1996. He says he is running to protest the method by which the Republican nominee was chosen, a party convention.
This will be the first election in Virginia (for office other than president) at which party labels appear on a government-printed ballot. However, the Green Party candidate, D. C. Amarasinghe, has been labeled "Independent" on the ballot. This is because the law passed last year, authorizing party labels, has no means for an unqualified party to have its name on the ballot. A party cannot be "qualified" until after it has polled 10% for statewide office.
On May 17, Republican State Senator William Schluter announced that he will run for New Jersey Governor this year as an independent, on a platform of campaign finance reform, property tax relief, and bringing the Initiative process to New Jersey. Independent and minor party petitions are due this month, but only require 800 valid signatures. Doug Friedline, who was Governor Jesse Ventura's campaign manager, will be Schluter's campaign manager.
The April 1, 2001 registration tally showed only 12,750 Libertarians, only 4,135 Greens, only 1,543 Reformers, and only 104 Natural Law members. All four parties will be removed from the ballot on November 1, 2001, unless they increase their registration to 2/3rds of 1%. Although the number will change slightly, currently that requirement works out to 14,702. At the prior tally, on January 1, there had been 12,876 Libertarians and 4,033 Greens.
At local elections held around Wisconsin on April 3, members of three minor parties were elected:
1. Constitution Party: Jeffrey Hyslop was elected Mayor of Eagle River. Jack Elsinger was re-elected Township Supervisor in Hull Township, Portage County.
2. Green Party: Todd Jarrell and Brenda Konkel were elected to the City council of Madison. Shwaw Vang was elected to the Madison School Board. Matt Filipiak was elected to the Stevens Point city council.
3. Libertarian Party: Kevin Scheunemann was elected to the Kewaskum town board.
In May, members of the Libertarian Party were elected to these Massachusetts offices: Provincetown city council, Dartmouth town council, and Swansea School Board and Recreation Commission. Also a Libertarian was elected to the Polkville, Mississippi, city council. Greens won these elections: Gary Claus to the Silver City, New Mexico city council; Kate Harris to an Amherst, Massachusetts, Town Meeting seat; Sally Huntington to the Westport, Massachusetts, School Committee; Matt Kelly, New Ashford, Massachusetts Selectman.
The Socialist Party has a national conference July 27-29 in Milwaukee, partly to celebrate its 100th birthday. See http://sp-usa.org/sp100