On September 15, the Democratic Party nominee for Alaska’s U.S. House seat filed a lawsuit in state court, over the state’s decision to drop her partisan affiliation from the November ballot. She is a registered independent and she wants that shown on the ballot. In 2018 Alaska general election ballots did show such partisan affiliations. Galvin v Fenumiai, 3AN-20-0799.
Presumably, if she wins, the state will also restore the partisan affiliation of the nominees of unqualified parties. For example, Scott Kohlhaas petitioned as the Libertarian nominee for state house this year, and he is a registered Libertarian. In past years the ballot would have shown him as a Libertarian, but this year the state has given him the label “petitioning candidate.”
Here is the Galvin complaint. The case has an oral argument on Wednesday, September 16.
I thought the court decision last year said the Lt.Governor who acts as the SOS in Alaska had to make clear to voters what the registartion status and nomination status of a candidate was.
Maybe Alaska will adopt Top 4 and do away with party nominations.