Michigan’s election code does require “minor” parties to complete their nominations, including nomination of a slate of Presidential electors in appropriate years, by the date of that year’s primary election. The paperwork is to be turned in the business day after the convention ends.

OTOH, state law doesn’t require state parties to certify their national ticket (if any) until the business day after the state convention *OR* the national convention, whichever is later.

For NLP-MI, this raises some interesting questions. This is (IIRC) the only purely NLP state party still on the ballot — so it could argue that any convention it holds is actually the *national* NLP convention. That would let it nominate Nader or Keyes or anyone else for the top of the ticket on August 9. But that would presumably be too late to nominate anybody else below the Presidential team.

For that matter, August 9 seems to be too late for NLP-MI to nominate *electors*. (As I expect some “major” party or other would mention prominently.) Now, I for one am used to voting for President with less-than-gigantic hope that my candidate will win. But voting for a candidate when my vote can’t even possibly help the candidate win electoral votes? That might stretch even my optimism.

But NLP-MI may have no choice — because they have to nominate *some*body in order to stay on the ballot, and (as noted above) August 9 seems to be too late for them to nominate anybody but President.

(But then, I’m not an attorney — not for another three months or more, at least, and then only if I passed the Bar exam Tuesday and Wednesday. Much less am I the Michigan Bureau of Elections.)

Phil Sawyer adds:

On giving this a little more thought, I am now guessing that Mayor Bloomberg is considering the possibility of running for president, as an independent, in 2012. My adive to his supporters, though, would be that they should not hold their collective breath waiting for that to happen. Still, if my prediction comes true (which I still think that it will) that the Republican Party will be a minor-sized party by that time, the Mayor might decide to go for it.

There is a long list of reasons why it is called ‘Politics’ and not ‘High Tea’!

Peace and serenity? Enough time for that when we are all taking ‘dirt naps’!

‘Politics’ : from POLY , the many, and TICKS, blood sucking pests!

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If Nader got the NY Independence Party nomination, would that lead to a Nader-Bloomberg alliance? There’s something to wish for!

Phil Sawyer responds:

That is probably about as good of a prediction as we can get right now. It is going to be a real fight! Hopefully, things will be much more harmonious than at certain conventions in the past. There is no good reason why that should not be the case, at any rate. Certainly, I am going to do everything in my power to promote peace and the obtaining of collective wisdom.

I have no idea whom the NY Independence Party will nominate for president; that will be fun to watch.