According to this story, Democratic legislators in Connecticut have drafted a bill to make it illegal for any party in Connecticut to be named “Independent Party.” If this proposed bill is ever signed into law, it seems likely that it would be held unconstitutional. The Independent Party of Connecticut has been very active starting in 2008. Currently it has ballot-qualified status for all statewide offices except President. It also has that status for U.S. House, 4th district; sixteen State Senate districts; and 39 State House districts.
There are ballot-qualified parties named “Independent Party”, besides Connecticut, in Delaware, Florida, and Oregon. In the past there have been such parties in Arkansas, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Utah. In 2012 a U.S. District Court struck down a Tennessee law that banned the name “Independent Party”, but the Sixth Circuit reversed that only because of standing; none of the plaintiff political parties were named “Independent Party.” Thanks to Joshua Van Vranken for the link.
What years was the independent party qualified in North Carolina?
1980. John B. Anderson organized it and was its presidential nominee. At the time North Carolina required 10,000 signatures for a new party, but 166,000 (10% of the last vote cast) for independent candidates. Naturally Anderson took the easier route to the ballot. There were 7 states in 1980 in which he was a minor party presidential nominee instead of an independent presidential nominee.
See the various SCOTUS opinions about having LESS voter confusion — as an excuse to have LESS voter choices.
In 2011, a bill was introduced in the Oregon Legislature to ban the word “independent” in the name of any party. This was, of course, an attack on the Independent Party of Oregon, created in 2007. All of the major newspapers in the state editorialized against the bill. When it came to a committee hearing, no one at all testified for it, and no member was willing to identify who had authored the bill.
Richard, there is also a New Mexico Independent Party, ballot-qualified.
I may have a fuzzy memory on this, but the CT American Independent Party had to change its name to the George Wallace Party because it carried the name American
I didn’t count that party because it has the name of the state included in the party name. Also it didn’t get as much as one-half of 1% for President in 2012, so it is no longer ballot-qualified.
You are probably thinking of New York. Connecticut has no ban on the word “American” and in 1966 a candidate for US House, 3rd district, appeared on the Connecticut ballot with the label “American Independent.” He was a anti-Vietnam War candidate.
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In Connecticut’s last Governor’s race, a staunchly Republican 1st Selectman of my town–with no legislative experience or campaign organization or the slightest interest in the office–ran for Governor on the “Independent Party” ticket. His sole goal was to draw off Dem votes and thereby allow the Republican candidate to win. It nearly worked. Our current Governor Dannel Malloy squeaked by to win. Voters were truly snookered –and confused–by the name “Independent.” There was no Independent Party in CT –only registered independents.
Britain, whose party registration scheme you have praised, does not permit use of “Independent”, “Independent Party”, nor “Independent Labour”, etc.