On June 7, the Arizona Libertarian Party asked a U.S. District Court to enjoin the new Arizona law that sharply increased the number of write-ins needed for a Libertarian to be considered the winner of his or her primary. The old law only required a few write-ins, assuming the candidate is unopposed in the Libertarian primary. But the new law requires even unopposed candidates to get such a large number of write-ins that winning is impossible.

The earlier Libertarian request to enjoin the number of signatures for a Libertarian to get on the primary ballot was refused on the basis that the request had been made only weeks before the primary ballots were being printed. But that objection does not apply to any action on the number of write-ins needed in the primary. The Libertarian court filing attached a 1980 decision from federal court in Arizona, striking down the number of write-ins needed for members of the Socialist Workers Party to win their party’s primary. The Socialist Workers Party was a ballot-qualified party with its own primary in Arizona and 1976 and 1980.

This Libertarian lawsuit has no impact on the presidential race, but if Libertarians don’t get any relief, there will probably be only one Libertarian on the November ballot in Arizona for office other than president.