On December 15, the Maine Libertarian Party asked U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker for an order putting the party on the ballot. Judge Walker had struck down two ballot access laws on November 17, and the party had hoped to persuade the Secretary of State to recognize that because the invalid laws had prevented the party from being on the ballot, to voluntarily put the party on the ballot. But, she refused, so now the matter has returned to court. Here is the party’s request in Baines v Bellows, 1:19cv-509.

The request also asks for an injunction, letting independent voters sign primary petitions. The old law said only party members could sign primary petitions, but as applied to small qualified parties, Judge Walker had struck down that law because qualified minor parties simply don’t have enough registered members to make it possible for members of their parties to comply with the law. Maine requires 2,000 signatures of party members for statewide office, and 1,000 for U.S. House.