Labor Party South Carolina Push

January 25th, 2006

The Labor Party hope to finish its first-ever petition drive to qualify the party for a state ballot by February 1. The party is working on collecting 10,000 valid signatures in South Carolina. It made heavy progress on the three-day weekend January 14-16, and is pushing for another big weekend January 28-29. The Labor Party was formed nationally in 1990, but it has never before tried to qualify itself for the ballot in any state.



Alaska Green Ballot Access Lawsuit

January 24th, 2006

For some time, the Alaska Green Party has been in state court over the state’s definition of “party”. Recently, the state said it will remove the Green Party check-box from the new voter registration form. This has given the Green Party an excuse to ask for quick injunctive relief from the judge who has the lawsuit before him. He has indicated he will rule on whether to order the state to leave the Green Party on the form by February 8 or so.

Canadian Election

January 24th, 2006

To see the national vote total for each party in Canada’s January 23 election, see http://enr.elections.ca/National_e.aspx.

Louisiana Congressional Timing Upset by Federal Court

January 24th, 2006

On January 23, U.S. District Court Judge Frank Polozola ruled from the bench that Louisiana cannot hold its congressional elections in late September or early October. Love v Edwards, 95-cv-788. The state hasn’t decided whether to appeal. The decision was no surprise, since the US Supreme Court had ruled the same way in this same case back in 1997. In 2005 the legislature had passed a new variation of the old law. The new variation said that the election was “deemed” to be in November.

Louisiana is the only state in which political parties do not nominate candidates for congress. Instead, all candidates run in the election on a single ballot. Usually someone gets over 50%, and the election is over. When no one gets 50%, Louisiana holds a run-off between the top two. Louisiana would like to hold its election in September, and if a run-off is needed, hold that in November. But a federal law, passed in 1872, orders the states to hold congressional elections in November, and says if the state wants a run-off to ensure the winner gets 50%, that run-off must be after the November election.

The decision will put pressure on Louisiana to either use Instant-Runoff Voting for its congressional elections, or else reinstate the system used in all other states, in which parties nominate candidates.

Minnesota Republican Party Wins Free Speech Case

January 23rd, 2006

On January 23, the US Supreme Court refused to disturb the Minnesota Republican Party’s victory in the 8th circuit last August. The 8th circuit had struck down a state regulation, making it illegal for candidates for judge to “identify themselves as members of a political party” or to “attend a political gathering or seek, accept or use an endorsement from a political organization”. Dimick v Republican Party of Minnesota, 05-566.

Working Families Party About to Start Oregon Party Petition

January 22nd, 2006

The Working Families is about to start circulating a petition to qualify itself for the Oregon ballot. The party is now on the ballot statewide in only one state, New York. It is on the ballot in parts of Connecticut.

Hopeful Development in Nader Ohio Ballot Access Case

January 21st, 2006

In 2004, Ralph Nader challenged the Ohio law that requires circulators for independent candidates to be registered voters in the state. Both the U.S. District Court and the 6th circuit refused to rule on the constitutionality of the law. The 6th circuit had ruled on November 16, 2005, that the case is moot. Nader had then asked for reconsideration. On January 20, 2006, the Court asked attorneys for the Secretary of State to respond to Nader’s petition for rehearing. This indicates there is a fair chance that the rehearing will be granted.

First 3rd party candidate for US House in Georgia this year?

January 21st, 2006

A Georgia Libertarian, Jay Fisher, will make a serious attempt to become the first political party nominee (other than a Democrat or Republican) to appear on the ballot for U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia in the last 63 years. In 1943 Georgia enacted a law that requires minor party and independent candidates for U.S. House to submit a petition signed by 5% of the registered voters in that district. No independent has managed this since 1964, and no minor party nominee has ever done it. Jay Fisher is a Deputy Attorney General, an activist in LEAP (Law Enforcement Personnel Against Prohibition), and was a paramedic while attending law school. He needs campaign contributions to cope with the requirement that he collect 15,000 valid signatures from the 6th district. His address is 3013 Mulberry St., Marietta Ga 30066.

If he succeeds, there will be publicity about the petition requirement, which will help garner support for easing the requirement.

Minnesota Independence Party Loses its State Senator

January 20th, 2006

On January 8, Minnesota State Senator Sheila Kiscaden changed her membership from the Independence Party to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. She had been elected to the State Senate as the Independence Party nominee in 2002. She will run for Lieutenant Governor as a Democrat this year, teamed with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kelly Doran. Kiscaden had been a Republican before she joined the Independence Party.

Ohio Independent Deadline Case

January 19th, 2006

The Socialist Equality Party lawsuit against Ohio’s March 1 independent petition deadline will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Law Professor Mark Brown of Capital University has agreed to write the cert petition.

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »

 

  

Paper Issues:

Blog Archives Syndication

Subscribe to Ballot Access News via PayPal. Subscriptions are $15 for 12 issues a year ($20 foreign). Additional donations are welcome.

Subscribe to Ballot Access News via PayPal.
If you use your credit card to pay via PayPal, use this button.
New Feature:
Search Ballot Access News

Search ballot-access.org
Search WWW

 
Access to this site is free. Your donations support this site and the activities of Richard Winger in lobbying for free and open elections.

To subscribe via mail, click here and print out the form to mail.

Welcome to the OFFICIAL online home of Ballot Access News, a non-partisan newsletter reporting on the trials and tribulations of folks trying to put candidates on the ballot in the United States of America. There are many surprisingly restrictive ballot access laws in this country, which the average voter has no knowledge or conception of; part of our purpose here (besides reporting on progress made) is to report on these restrictive ballot access laws so that more people are aware of them. I hope you find these materials interesting and exciting; if you do, you can support the newsletter by subscribing!

Ballot Access News is edited and published by Richard Winger, the nation's leading expert on ballot access legal issues.

Issues available:

2008:

2007:

2006:

2005:

2004:

2003:

2002:

2001:

2000:

1999:

1998:

1997:

1996:

1995:

1994:

1993:

  • 1993 Issues not yet available online

Essays by Richard Winger:

Additional articles/essays:

  • Politics, Soviet-style by S. Philip Gordon, regarding recent ballot access issues in Georgia – the US state, not the Russian territority!

Extra Features:

Other information:

  • Here's how to subscribe to Ballot Access News!

  • Here's information on Presidential Ballot Access as well as the vote totals of recent Presidential elections.

  • Here are some other sites which may also be of interest:

    Project Vote-Smart

    Project Vote Smart is a citizens' organization dedicated to serving all Americans with accurate and unbiased information for electoral decision-making. It was inaugerated in 1992 by former US Presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and other leaders. Its webpage offers information about all ballot-listed candidates for all federal and state office.
    [Added:040729]

    The ACE Project
    An interesting site concerning itself with the "Administration and Cost of Elections", including issues of fairness and regulatory approaches in various countries. They seem to be almost blind to the ways that third parties in the USA are harmed by campaign finance rules crafted for the problems characteristic of the larger parties, or the ways that third parties would be disenfranchised by various proposed rules, but this is nevertheless a useful resource, particularly for the international comparisons it makes.
    [Added:001206]

    "Unofficial" B.A.N. Page

    At first, it looks like there's not much here. But then you follow the "Charts" link, and click on one of the listed candidates, and you'll get some truly wonderful nationwide maps of voting patterns.
    [Checked:991014]

    ThirdPartyNews.net

    A site that covers news about minor parties.
    [Checked:060414]

    Third Party Central

    Collects lots of good information and links relating to various third parties into one convenient location. Nice set of writings on why one should vote third-party.
    [Checked:991014]

    Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections

    A surprisingly complete listing of votes cast in Presidential elections, including numerous third-party candidates and nice maps of vote distribution by state and (on the individual state pages) by county.
    [New-URL:010309]

    D.C.'s Political Report

    Very good presentation of candidate and party information, including virtually every known third-party group in the USA. Election results, candidate information, etc.
    [Updated:991214]

    Initiative For Texas

    A group trying to establish the right to Initiative and Referendum in Texas. Their work has intriguing parallels and overlaps with ballot access work. Every page at the site seems to have some music on it, which can get annoying after awhile, but otherwise it's an interesting site.
    [Checked:991014]

    Center for Voting and Democracy

    Folks concerned with alternative voting systems, and related issues, from a moderately leftist perspective. Useful articles describing how better systems of voting and electing actually work.
    [Added:000823]

The newsletter is published by and copyright by Richard Winger.