According to this story, the Florida Libertarian Party is about to launch a registration drive. There is no particular election-law related reason to do that, but the party assumes higher registration will strengthen the state organization and be a means to attract more activists.
February 5 was the Ohio deadline for candidates seeking a place on a primary ballot this year. This story mentions the statewide candidates who filed. It appears the Libertarian Party is running a full slate for the statewide partisan races (there is no U.S. Senate race this year in Ohio). The Green Party has only one statewide entry, a joint ticket for Governor/Lieutenant Governor.
Although no Socialist Party filed for statewide office, a Socialist filed to run for U.S. House in the Ninth District. It is not known whether anyone filed to run in the Constitution Party primary.
Ohio permits write-ins in primaries, so parties could potentially run more candidates if they obtain enough write-ins in the primary. Statewide write-in candidates need 500 votes, and district candidates need 25. The primary is May 6.
This Tacoma News Tribune story about the Washington state legislature and a proposed education bill seems to show that the Washington state legislature is characterized by excess partisanship and gridlock. Washington state has had the top-two system in effect for almost six years, and proponents of top-two systems assumed, wrongly, that it is a cure for such ills.
Law Professor Rick Pildes has this essay in the Washington Post, recommending that Congress would work better if the campaign finance laws were reformed to strengthen political parties.
HR 20, the bill in Congress for public funding of congressional campaigns, has 128 sponsors so far, including one Republican, Walter B. Jones of North Carolina. Here is a list of the sponsors. Scroll down. The list changes daily; this is as of February 6, mid-day.
