The Pennsylvania statewide Libertarian challenge process still isn’t finished. It had been thought that it would be finished by Friday, October 5, but now it appears it can’t finish that fast, and the work will continue into the weekend. The process involves one volunteer from the Libertarian Party forces, and one volunteer for the Republican challengers, examining each signature and seeing if they can agree that the signature either is, or isn’t, valid.
Meanwhile the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has received briefs on the issue of whether certain kinds of signatures are valid. The Commonwealth Court had upheld signatures of voters who moved within the county and hadn’t yet updated their voter registration record, but the same court had invalidated signatures when the signer forgot, or didn’t know, to include “2012” in the date column. The petition form at the bottom says, “Revised Jan. 2012.” Both sides appealed to the State Supreme Court on the issue on which that side had lost.
Even if the State Supreme Court rules against the Libertarian Party on both points, the party may have enough valid signatures regardless. The petition is now only short a few hundred signatures from having enough valid signatures, even without the need to win anything at all in the State Supreme Court, and a few thousand remain to be examined. Thanks to Richard Schwarz for this news.
Why can’t they (Republicans)just let it go?!?!
@Kyle:
The Republicans believe they can take Pennsylvania, and just don’t want any third party candidates there.
Frontloading blog, which is tracking presidential polls for each state, shows Pennsylvania currently as Obama 48%, Romney 40%, other or undecided 12%. Electoral Vote, which also tracks polls for each state, shows Obama 52%, Romney 41%, other or undecided 7%. And with the photo voter-ID law not in place, as a result of yesterday’s court decision, it seems unrealistic for anyone to think Pennsylvania could go Republican for president.
Perhaps they just want to bleed the LP of as many funds as possible.
@Walt Romney has no shot in PA. If it were just the Presidential race the Republican effort would appear to be senseless, but the Libertarians also filed a full slate of candidates for US Senate and state row offices that are expected to be closely contested. That’s the real reason behind the continued ballot challenge.
Max.
Your right and that is why I am voting straight Libertarian! Even though I am a member of the LP and I never voted straight anything. I want them bastards to pay for what they are doing to my party and Ron Paul!
Live free,
Matt Schutter