On February 28, local branches of the NAACP filed lawsuits against twelve Mississippi counties in federal court, seeking a court order to require the counties to move the candidate filing deadline from March 1 to June 1, for this year only, for candidates for county office only. The filing deadline this year for candidates for the state legislature is already June 1, although candidates for statewide office faced a filing deadline of March 1.
The census data from the 2010 census was delivered to Mississippi last month, and the counties will be redrawing their county supervisor district boundaries. The lawsuits argue that it isn’t feasible for candidates to file, before the district boundaries are known. However, it appears at least one of the counties has already redrawn its districts, but is waiting for the U.S. Justice Department to approve those new boundaries. One of the cases, in the northern district, is Winston County NAACP v Winston County Board of Supervisors, 1:11-cv-059. Thanks to Steve Rankin for this news.
If it is feasible for the filing deadlines in 2011 for some office to be on June 1, one wonders why the state legislature didn’t provide that all candidates have a June 1 deadline this year. The primary is in August.
My guess is that having a two-tier filing system allows surplus candidates a second chance. That is, if a person originally intended to run for a county office, but saw that the field was too crowded, or contained an unbeatable opponent, he could then refrain from filing or withdraw, while still having an opportunity to file in the legislative race.
Steve Rankin Says:
March 4th, 2011 at 6:00 am
Mississippi’s qualified minor parties are Constitution, Libertarian, Green, America First, Natural Law, and Reform.
To my knowledge, there is no Independence Party, unless it has recently qualified.
Steve:
I had hoped Richard might have answered my question about an Independence Party in Mississippi in a previous post. I guess he does not normally scroll back that far.
Thanks for updating me on what you know about the Independence Party in Mississippi. Where do you think Richard got the idea one was organized and recognized even if they have no candidates?
“… one wonders why the state legislature didn’t provide that all candidates have a June 1 deadline this year.”
The legislators knew that the new legislative districts would not be drawn by March 1. They are trying to avoid having to run this year in their old districts, and then run again next year in a new district drawn by the courts– as has happened in the past. If this were not a redistricting year, they would have left the deadline at March 1, since that means less competition for incumbents.
Each of the 82 counties is divided into five supervisors’ districts. Hinds County, seat of the state capital, has contracted with a company for $40,000 to redraw the district lines (this company just happens to be headed by the president of the state NAACP). Two adjoining counties have each contracted to have their districts redrawn for $20,000.
#2: The late Ted Weill did some organizing of an Independence Party, but I don’t think it was ever ballot-qualified. He joined the Reform Party… he was on the Mississippi ballot as the 2008 presidential nominee of one of the incarnations of the Reform Party.
How many EVIL reptile retarded gerrymander party hack robots are in the States having 2011 general elections ???
P.R. and App.V. — regardless of such retarded robots.
QUESTION IS EVERY OFFICE UP IN MS THIS TEAR EXCEPT FEDERAL?
All the Mississippi state legislative seats, and statewide executive state offices, are up this year. I don’t know about county elections, but obviously some county offices are up this year. Steve Rankin could probably answer this.
To clara bell Says; Steve Rankin is the expert here, but no, not every office is up in Mississippi this year. Only statewide, county, and legislative offices. As I understand (and Steve or Richard can correct me) Mississippi has a General Election each year. For example, gubernatoral (and other offices) elections in 2011, Presidential (and congressional) elections in 2012, mayoral (and city council)elections in
2013, and then judicial elections (and congressional) in 2014. Then the cycle begins all over in 2015.
For someone who loves elections, Mississippi gives them all they could ask for on an annual basis. And with Mississippi becoming a true “two-party” state, the elections are even more exciting.
And what tops it all off, Mississippi has one of the fairest 3rd party laws for ballot access (just be organized), and even the “independent” route is as easy as “falling off a log.” 1,000 signatures tops for a statewide office.
But what disappoints me, is there are not more 3rd parties seriously organized and running candidates. As I’ve said time and time again, 3rd partisans are their own worst enemies.
Mississippi will also elect all of its county officials this year. While we now have a two-party state, most counties still decide their elections for county officials in one party’s primary, the big majority in the Democratic primary. Since most of the action for state offices will be in the Republican primary, we’ll soon hear the quadrennial cries for a Louisiana-style “open primary.”
The only contested statewide office in the Democratic primary will be the governorship, unless the Democrats certify Shawn O’Hara’s candidacy for state treasurer.
#7: “… Presidential (and congressional) elections in 2012, mayoral (and city council)elections in
2013, and then judicial elections (and congressional) in 2014.”
Most municipal elections are indeed held in the spring of the year after presidential elections, with the general election in June. But some municipalities hold their elections at other times, some in the spring of presidential election years.
State and county judicial elections are nonpartisan. Supreme Court justices and Appeals Court judges run in staggered terms, with some elected in every even-numbered year. Other state judges and county court judges are elected every four years, next in 2014.
County election commissioners are elected (nonpartisan) in presidential years.
“… what disappoints me, is there are not more 3rd parties seriously organized and running candidates.”
The Reform Party is the only one of the six minor parties running candidates this year… the Constitution Party had a candidate for agriculture commissioner in 2007. In the November 2010 District 1 US House race, there were seven non-major party candidates, who received negligible votes.
In the close 1999 governor’s race, an independent and a Reform Party candidate drew enough votes to force the election into the state House of Representatives.
In the 2003 governor’s race, the Constitution, Green, and Reform parties all had nominees. They held a joint press conference to announce a lawsuit to get them into the debates. Haley Barbour still got 50%-plus against the incumbent Democrat.
To Steve Rankin: If the Democrats allow Shawn O’Hara to run for Treasurer again, and he wins – a stretch I know – do you think the Mississippi SOS would allow his name to be listed twice on the
General Ballot – as the Democratic nominee and again as the Reform nominee?
Even if he doesn’t win the Primary – but if he is still allowed to run in the Primary – and is still the nominee of the Reform Party in November, it will make the results interesting to analyze. It will be interesting to compare the vores he receives in the Primary to the votes he receives in the General Election.
#10: You recall that, in 2007, O’Hara qualified as a Democrat for all eight statewide offices (plus nine county offices in Forrest County). The state Democratic Party only certified him for treasurer. He was the only Democrat to file for that office, and he was pulverized by the incumbent Republican.
I’m guessing that the Democrats will refuse to certify O’Hara for treasurer, since he has also filed as the Reform Party candidate for both governor and treasurer. Even if the Dems do certify him, he can’t beat the woman mayor of Ocean Springs in the primary.
Since Mississippi does not permit fusion, he couldn’t be the nominee of two parties for the same office.
Meanwhile, Shawn continues to promote his plan for snow cone stands at rest stops.
To Steve Rankin: Are you sure Mississippi election law prohibits fusion? I know Alabama does as it is written specifically prohibiting a candidate’s name being listed “more than once on the ballot and more than once under a party label.” Does Mississippi not allow it because there is no “provision” for it, or is there a written law prohibiting such?
I don’t know the answer to your question. During the years that I’ve followed elections, no candidate has ever been listed more than once on the general election ballot for the same office.
You can go to the secretary of state’s site and email them your question.