Even though South Dakota HB 1018 has been signed into law, and even though it goes into effect on July 1, the South Dakota Secretary of State thinks Americans Elect will still be on the 2014 ballot. The bill lets a party dissolve itself. However, the Secretary of State’s office feels that for the Americans Elect Party to have a state chair in place, the national party would need to amend its national bylaws and give the national party to power to appoint state chairs. Then, Americans Elect’s national office would need to actually appoint a South Dakota state chair, and then both the state chair and the national chair would need to sign notarized statements, requesting that the party go out of legal existence in South Dakota.
There is no more national office for Americans Elect, and apparently no more officers. The corporation has been dissolved. So, HB 1018 will probably have no effect on Americans Elect for 2014, and any voter is free to register into Americans Elect and run in its primary. However, access to the primary ballot of Americans Elect requires that the number of voters registered “Americans Elect” would need to increase, because a petition to put a legislative candidate on the primary ballot needs the signatures of 5 registered Americans Elect voters, and a statewide candidate needs 250 signatures.
So are there just 3 qualified parties currently on the ballot in South Dakota?
No, South Dakota also has the Libertarian Party and the Constitution Party on the ballot. So the state has 5 qualified parties.
Somebody should organize a state Americans Elect Party, similar to what Richard Grayson did in Arizona, and get some more candidates on the ballot! Perhaps the state Green Party could use the Americans Elect primary to get their candidates on the ballot?
The Arizona Americans Elect Party is actively seeking candidates for Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Education Commissioner, Treasurer, Corporation Commissioner, and all seats in the state House and Senate for 2014. Also, we are looking for Congress.
Anyone wanting to run in our primary just has to be an Arizona voter, meet the residency and age requirements, and be registered in the Americans Elect Party. You can get signatures for the 2014 ballot, but it’s easiest just to wait until the petitioning period ends in late May 2014 and you have to mid-July to file a simple one-page form declaring your candidacy for an office, getting it notarized, and mailing it to the Secretary of State’s office.
If you win a plurality of votes in the Americans Elect Party primary, you will be declared the winner and be on the ballot in November even if you get one vote.
You can do this with the Arizona Green Party too, but they will be pissed. The Americans Elect Party welcomes anyone to run on our ballot line, regardless of anything you are or believe. It is open to all.
We are particularly looking for a candidate for Governor, who will be assured of taking part in the scheduled debate with the Republican and Democratic candidates. Want to promote your views, publicize your business, or jump-start your career in show business? Be the Americans Elect Party candidate for Governor of Arizona in 2014 and you too can wag your finger at the President of the United States.
We are desperate for candidates.
I should clarify that the one-page form is to make you a write-in candidate in the primary. Unless you fill out and file that notarized form, write-in votes for you or anyone else will not count.
It’s easy, fun, and the only money you’d have to spend is the cost of printing out the form off the Secretary of State’s website, getting it notarized if you don’t have a bank that will notarize it for free, and the money for a first-class postage stamp (or the gas or carfare if you want to deliver it to the SoS office at 1700 Washington Avenue in Phoenix yourself).
Run, anyone, run!