|
| |
|
2008
VOTES FOR PRESIDENT
Top 4 Minor
Candidates
(updated
November 18, 2008: 99% Precincts Reporting Nationwide)
|
|
Nader
Independent
|
Barr
Libertarian Party
|
Baldwin
Constitution Party
|
McKinney
Green Party
|
|
698,798
|
511,324
|
181,818
|
152,811
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
May 16th, 2006
Pennsylvania held primaries on May 16. The two top Republican leaders of the State Senate, Senators Brightbill and Jubelirer (majority leader and president pro tempore) both were defeated for re-election. The Republican leadership of the Pennsylvania State Senate have been stalwart foes of ballot access reform. In 1997, Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania State Senate quadrupled the number of signatures needed for minor parties and independents, although that bill was vetoed. More recently, the Pennsylvania House has held hearings on ballot access reform, but the Senate has never shown any interest in improving the ballot access laws.
May 16th, 2006
On May 13, the Salt Lake City Tribune newspaper reported that the C. W. Mining Company had settled its defamation lawsuit against the United Mine Workers Union of America and the Socialist Workers Party newspaper, The Militant. The Militant had run 54 articles over the past three years about a labor dispute in a Utah coal mine. The owners of the coal mine, and the company union, had filed a federal defamation lawsuit. On May 1, U.S. District Court Judge Dee Benson had refused to release The Militant from the lawsuit, but since then, the case has been dropped, and the United Mine Workers Association will not try to organize that mine. IAUWU v UMWA, 2:04-cv-901.
May 16th, 2006
On May 10, U.S. District Court Judge Lee Yeakel ruled against Texas independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Strayhorn. Yeakel said nothing in the U.S. Constitution requires the state to use random sampling, instead of checking all the signatures. Strayhorn v Williams, A-06-CA-205. Strayhorn had sued because the Secretary of State had initially said the job of checking all her signatures might take him until July or August. Strayhorn had argued that her campaign would be hurt if she weren’t officially on the ballot until then.
After the decision came out, Strayhorn claimed a moral victory, because now the Secretary of State says, even without random sampling, he will finish verifying the signatures in 4 or 5 weeks.
The court decision didn’t address the separate issue of whether it is constitutional for the state to forbid turning in additional signatures, after the first batch has been turned in.
May 15th, 2006
The Reform Party has qualified for the Nevada ballot in one U.S. House race this year. Bruce Westcott is running in the 1st district in Las Vegas. This is the only successful Reform Party petition this year so far, for any congressional or statewide race.
May 15th, 2006
Carole Strayhorn is currently suing Texas over a regulation that won’t permit multiple turn-ins of signatures. Although she turned in 223,000 signatures on May 9, she turned in another 6,000 on May 11, the deadline. The state accepted the 2nd batch even though it says they won’t count. Strayhorn’s action keeps that aspect of her lawsuit from being declared moot.
Among the signers in the 2nd batch were the signatures of a woman who signed on her hospital bed shortly before she died, plus the nurse in attendance.
May 14th, 2006
On May 12, the Missouri legislature adjourned, without passing SB 726, the bill which gives more flexibility to newly-qualifying parties to decide whom to run for president.
However, the legislature passed SB 1014, which eliminates the straight-ticket voting device. Generally, straight-ticket devices injure minor parties and independent candidates.
May 13th, 2006
On May 12, State Senator James Meeks of Illinois announced that he will unveil a slate of statewide candidates (presumably, under the party label “Honesty and Integrity”) on May 20. He didn’t say if he will be the gubernatorial candidate of his new party, but it is likely.
May 13th, 2006
It had been looking as though Alabama was going to be the only state with a statewide ballot access monopoly for Democrats and Republicans in November 2006. It had seemed as though every other state with a statewide partisan race on the ballot would have at least one minor party or independent candidate on the statewide ballot.
But now, there is even hope that Alabama will have a third choice in a statewide race this year. The Libertarian Party is energized and working very hard to obtain the 41,012 valid signatures needed to get on the ballot. This energy comes from the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Loretta Nall, who is a natural campaigner with great appeal. The deadline is June 6.
A lawsuit is pending against that deadline. U.S. District Court Judge Myron Thompson received all the briefs in late 2004, and we have been waiting for his opinion ever since.
May 12th, 2006
Noon on May 12 was the deadline for candidates for Congress in Florida. In the U.S. Senate race, 4 independents, but no minor party nominees, will be on the November ballot.
In U.S. House races, Democrats fielded a candidate in 24 of the 25 districts, whereas Republicans fielded a candidate in only 19 of the 25 districts. There are only two minor party nominees for U.S. House. The Constitution Party is running one in the 23rd district (he will be the only opponent to the Democratic incumbent), and a Libertarian is running in the 22nd district, but due to a paperwork glitch, he will be listed as an independent.
Also, there are bona fide independent candidates running in the 8th, 12th, and 16th districts. There are no mandatory petition requirements for minor party or independent candidates in Florida; but they must pay a fee, for Congress, of $9,726.
Filing for state office doesn’t close until July.
May 12th, 2006
On May 10, the Louisiana House Governmental Affairs Committee Passed HB 927, the bill to award the state’s electoral college votes to whomever gets the most popular votes nationwide. The vote was 6-4. Democrats have a majority in both houses of the Louisiana legislature, and a Democratic Governor.
A similar bill in Illinois failed to pass, and the legislature has now adjourned for the year. A similar bill in Missouri cannot pass this year (because it failed to move ahead in time), unless the substance of it gets amended into another bill that does pass.
Supporters of the idea say they will have bills in all states next year.
|
|
|
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.
New
Feature:
Search Ballot Access News
|
|
|
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:
- December
2002 Issue
(V:18– N:8)
- November
2002 Issue
(V:18– N:7)
- October
1, 2002 Issue (V:18 – N:6)
- September
1, 2002 Issue
(V:18 – N:5)
- August
1, 2002 issue (V:18 – N:4)
- July
1, 2002 issue (V:18 – N:3)
- June
1, 2002 issue (V:18 – N:2)
- May
1, 2002 issue (V:18 – N:1)
- April
1, 2002 issue (V:17 – N:13)
- March
1, 2002 issue (V:17 – N:12)
- February
1, 2002 issue (V:17 – N:11)
- January
1, 2002 issue (V:17 – N:10)
|
2001:
- December
1, 2001 issue (V:17 – N:9)
- November
1, 2001 issue (V:17 – N:8)
- October
1, 2001 issue (V:17 – N:7)
- September
1, 2001 issue (V:17 – N:6)
- August
1, 2001 issue (V:17 – N:5)
- July
1, 2001 issue (V:17 – N:4)
- June
1, 2001 issue (V:17 – N:3)
- May
1, 2001 issue (V:17 – N:2)
- April
1, 2001 issue (V:17 – N:1)
- March
1, 2001 issue (V:16 – N:12)
- February
1, 2001 issue (V:16 – N:11)
- January
1, 2001 issue (V:16 – N:10)
|
2000:
- December
5, 2000 issue (V:16 – N:9)
- November
16, 2000 issue (V:16 – N:8)
- October
1, 2000 issue (V:16 – N:7)
- September
1, 2000 issue (V:16 – N:6)
- August
1, 2000 issue (V:16 – N:5)
- July
1, 2000 issue (V:16 – N:4)
- June
1, 2000 issue (V:16 – N:3)
- May
1, 2000 issue (V:16 – N:2)
- April
1, 2000 issue (V:16 – N:1)
- March
1, 2000 issue (V:15 – N:12)
- February
1, 2000 issue (V:15 – N:11)
- January
1, 2000 issue (V:15 – N:10)
|
1999:
- December
1, 1999 issue (V:15 – N:9)
- November
1, 1999 issue (V:15 – N:8)
- October
1, 1999 issue (V:15 – N:7)
- September
1, 1999 issue (V:15 – N:6)
- August
3, 1999 issue (V:15 – N:5)
- July
3, 1999 issue (V:15 – N:4)
- June
1, 1999 issue (V:15 – N:3)
- May
3, 1999 issue (V:15 – N:2)
- April
3, 1999 issue (V:15 – N:1)
- March
6, 1999 issue (V:14 – N:12)
- February
6, 1999 issue (V:14 – N:11)
- January
6, 1999 issue (V:14 – N:10)
|
1998:
- December
8, 1998 issue (V:14 – N:9)
- November
8, 1998 issue (V:14 – N:8)
- October
4, 1998 issue (V:14 – N:7)
- September
4, 1998 issue (V:14 – N:6)
- August
3, 1998 issue (V:14 – N:5)
- July
3, 1998 issue (V:14 – N:4)
- June
3, 1998 issue (V:14 – N:3)
- May
7, 1998 issue (V:14 – N:2)
- April
5, 1998 issue (V:14 – N:1)
- March
8, 1998 issue (V:13 – N:12)
- February
8, 1998 issue (V:13 – N:11)
- January
5, 1998 issue (V:13 – N:10)
|
1997:
- December
5, 1997 issue (V:13 – N:9)
- November
1, 1997 issue (V:13 – N:8)
- October
6, 1997 issue (V:13 – N:7)
- September
6, 1997 issue (V:13 – N:6)
- August
4, 1997 issue (V:13 – N:5)
- July
2, 1997 issue (V:13 – N:4)
BAN.
changed to a 12 issue per year schedule.
- June
2, 1997 issue (V:13 – N:3)
- May
5, 1997 issue (V:13 – N:2)
- April
7, 1997 issue (V:13 – N:1)
- March
10, 1997 issue (V:12 – N:13)
- February
10, 1997 issue (V:12 – N:12)
- January
12, 1997 issue (V:12 – N:11)
|
1996:
- December
12, 1996 issue (V:12 – N:10)
- November
12, 1996 issue (V:12 – N:9)
- October
12, 1996 issue (V:12 – N:8)
- September
9, 1996 issue (V:12 – N:7)
- August
12, 1996 issue (V:12 – N:6)
- July
20, 1996 issue (V:12 – N:5)
- June
26, 1996 issue (V:12 – N:4)
- May
28, 1996 issue (V:12 – N:3)
- May
3, 1996 issue (V:12 – N:2)
- April
3, 1996 issue (V:12 – N:1)
- March
6, 1996 issue (V:11 – N:13)
- February
7, 1996 issue (V:11 – N:12)
- January
14, 1996 issue (V:11 – N:11)
|
1995:
|
1994:
|
1993:
- 1993 Issues
not yet available online
|
|
|
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. |
| |
|
|
