California Newspaper Op-Ed Suggests “Top-Two” May be Unconstitutional

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The August 16 issue of the Tri-Valley Herald, daily newspaper of eastern Alameda County and nearby parts of Contra Costa County, has this op-ed, suggesting that California’s top-two system violates the U.S. Constitution. The op-ed is authored by Stephen D. Zendejas.

This is virtually the first time that any California newspaper has carried any content that suggests that the constitutionality of Proposition 14, passed by the voters in June 2010, is not assured. Even though the constitutionality of that type of system is pending in the 9th circuit, it appears that no California newspaper has told its readers that the lawsuit is still pending. Even this op-ed does not tell the readers about that specific case, which is called Washington State Republican Party v Washington State Grange.

New Jersey Secretary of State Removes Carl Lewis from Ballot, In Advance of Court Ruling

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On August 16, the New Jersey Secretary of State removed Carl Lewis’s name from the roster of candidates for the November 8, 2011 election. He had won the Democratic primary in June for State Senate, district 8. However, the Secretary of State, and a state court, had previously ruled that he does not meet the state constitution’s residency requirement. See this story. This development will probably prompt the U.S. District Court to rule very soon. Lewis is challenging the state constitutional requirement; he argues that it violates the U.S. Constitution.

Carl Lewis is better-known than most people who run for state legislature, because he was a well-known Olympic track star in the past.

Former Missouri State Legislator Joins Constitution Party

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Leaders of the Missouri Constitution Party announced on August 16 that Cynthia L. Davis has just joined the Constitution Party. Davis was in the State House for eight years, 2002-2010, but she could not run for re-election to the House due to term limits. She is from O’Fallon, a populous suburb of St. Louis. Until one month ago, she had been chair of the St. Charles County Republican Party, but she recently resigned that post. She intends to run for some partisan office in 2012. She was born in 1959.
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Libertarian, Green Parties Compile List of 2011 Nominees

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Both the Libertarian Party and the Green Party have compiled a list of their 2011 nominees. Here is the Libertarian Party list. Here is the Green Party list.

One candidate is on both lists. Chris Edes is the nominee of both parties for Monroe County legislator, district 24, in upstate New York. Because the Green Party is ballot-qualified in New York and the Libertarian Party is not, Edes, who has support from both parties but who is a Libertarian, will appear only as a Green. He needed no petition to get on the Green Party primary but would have needed approximately 500 valid signatures to appear in November as a Libertarian. As the commenter below explains, he did need the support of Green Party local party officials in order to be on the ballot.

Ohio Libertarian Party Asks for Quick Injunctive Relief in Ballot Access Case

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On August 15, the Ohio Libertarian Party filed this Motion for Preliminary Injunction and Expedited Proceedings, in the ballot access lawsuit that it filed early this month. The party argues that the case deserves expedited hearing because the Secretary of State has even canceled the party’s ballot status for the 2011 partisan local elections that it had been intending to participate in. The case is Libertarian Party of Ohio v Husted, 2:11-cv-722.