On July 19, the Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. campaign submitted 37,000 signatures to get on the ballot as an independent candidate in Oregon. The requirement is 23,737.

The statutory deadline is August 27, but the Oregon Secretary of State recently promulgated a rule that the “real” deadline is a month earlier. The Kennedy campaign will be submitting more signatures soon, and will contest any action by the Secretary of State to refuse them. The Federal Election Commission website says the Oregon independent petition deadline is August 27. See here.

On July 18, an en banc decision of the Fifth Circuit said Mississippi’s ban on ex-felon voting does not violate the Eighth Amendment. The original panel in this same case had ruled that the ban does violate the Eigth Amendment, which bans cruel and unusual punishment. Hopkins v Watsoon, 19-60662. Here is the decision. The vote was 13-6.

As already reported, the North Carolina State Board of Elections rejected the petition for the Justice for All Party, even though the county boards of election said it has enough valid signatures. Democrats on the state board had then said they believe the circulators misrepresented the contents of the petition to signers. The Justice for All Party is the party formed to support Cornel West.

West has obtained the services of the same attorney who won a similar case for the Green Party against North Carolina in 202. A federal lawsuit is expected in the coming week.