The Boston Herald has this story about Joseph L. Kennedy, independent candidate for U.S. Senate in the January 2010 special election. The story points out that he is a dues-paying member of the national Libertarian Party, but that he is petitioning as an independent candidate. This is somewhat odd, because the Massachusetts Libertarian Party is ballot-qualified. However, Massachusetts is one of two states in which it is easier to get on the ballot as an independent, than to get on the primary ballot of a small qualified party (the other such state is Maine, although this characteristic also applies to some offices in New York).