On March 6, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed A5116, which changes ballot format in primaries. The bill switches primary ballots from columns or rows, to an office-group style.

However, New Jersey still uses the old format for the general election, to the disadvantage of minor party and independent candidates. In most counties, the Democratic and Republican Parties have their own party columns, and every other candidate is squeezed into a column headed “Nomination by Petition.” That column is on the right-hand side of the ballot and many voters don’t even see the names of the candidates in that column.

There are three federal lawsuits over various Georgia laws that affect political parties, more than any other state.

The Catoosa County Republican Party is in the Eleventh Circuit, trying to win a decision that the party has the right to block candidates from the Republican primary ballot if those Republicans are considered not bona fide Republicans. Catoosa County Republican Party v Catoosa County Board of Elections, 24-12936.

The Libertarian Party is in the Eleventh Circuit over the ballot access rules for U.S. House. Cowen v Raffensperger, 24-13164.

The Libertarian and Green Parties are in U.S. District Court, fighting a campaign finance law that lets individuals give more donations to Republican and Democratic candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, than to other candidates for those same offices. Libertarian Party of Georgia v Carr, n.d., 1:24cv-05763.

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider the Indiana ballot access case at its March 21 conference. Indiana Green Party v Morales, 24M68. The Court will decide whether to docket the case. Here is the filing, explaining why the plaintiffs have had such trouble getting docketed.