Appeal to Readers

The Coalition for Free & Open Elections (COFOE) is a 35-year-old loose coalition of most of the nation’s nationally-organized minor parties. It frequently helps fund ballot access lawsuits. Most recently, it donated $1,500 to the lawsuit filed by Don Blankenship against the California independent presidential petition requirement of 196,964 signatures, to be collected entirely during the period of the health crisis, April through August. That case should have won, but it did not.

Now COFOE wishes to help fund the cert petition for Buscemi v Bell, the case involving the North Carolina independent presidential petition deadline of March 3, 2020. In a shocking decision in July 2020, the Fourth Circuit upheld that deadline, notwithstanding that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down early petition deadlines for independent presidential candidates in Anderson v Celebrezze in 1983. In August 2020 the Fourth Circuit refused to reconsider.

COFOE obtains all its income from readers of this blog. Please consider making a donation to COFOE. If you donate at least $25, you get a free one-year subscription to the print edition of Ballot Access News. Send any checks to COFOE, PO Box 470296, San Francisco Ca 94147. The November 1 print issue of Ballot Access News will contain a chart showing the number of legislative candidates nominated by each political party, by state, including the Democratic and Republican Parties, and the number of independent candidates in each state. It will also contain the amount of money donated to each political party on state income tax forms during 2020, for the states that have a check-off for political parties on state income tax returns. It will also contain a chart showing the number of registered voters in each party, in each state, if the data can be obtained in time. If not, the registration data will be in the December 1 issue. This type of information is not available from any other publication. If you read this blog, but have never contributed to COFOE, please consider making such a donation.


Comments

Appeal to Readers — 16 Comments

  1. INDIVIDUAL candidates are nominated.

    Some later are elected.

    Too many MORON lawyers and judges to count since 1968 Williams v Rhodes.

    When the first case/op on a subject is screwed up, then it infects ALL later cases/ops —

    52 years of screwed up ballot access cases.

    14-1 EQUAL.

  2. I pledge $300 to COFOE, and I heartily encourage, even “challenge”, everyone to do the same.

  3. Regarding providing voter registration data by state “…if the data can be obtained in time.” It amazes me that some states can provide monthly (or even weekly) updates while other states won’t provide updates to the voter registration numbers but once every year or two years. Some, like Kansas, have even recently removed all detailed historical data on voter registration from their Secretary of State’s webpage. The only data is from July 2020 and by congressional district whereas the site used to show registration by county every election cycle.

    Scott, I can’t afford to match your $300 to COFOE but will send some money its way.

  4. I do not see an endorsement by anyone or anything for Top Six.
    I see a lot of donations requests. A lot of losing court cases, losing candidates, losing parties.
    A lot of street demonstrations, protests, boycotts, leaflets, buttons, yard signs etc.
    Top Six, full ballot access for the top six parties that cover the entire political spectrum.
    That would make all six viable to possibly win.
    Except for the Libertarian party with a MAX of 13%.
    We KNOW the democrats and republicans will get full ballot access. They always do.
    The libertarians always get at least close, if not full as Jo has this year.
    We need the Greens, Constitution and Reform/Alliance also.
    The polling will spread out, leveling the playing field.
    Green, 27%, Constitution 27%, Democrat 17%, republican 17%, Libertarian 13%, Reform/Alliance x/unknown/variable%.

  5. “How will i give you proof of my donation for the subscription?”

    COFOE has the same address as Ballot Access News.

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