On August 7, the Peace & Freedom Party of California endorsed ACA 16, the bill in the California legislature to repeal the top-two system.
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It is possible that California and Kentucky will be the only two states in which there are no minor party or independent candidates on the ballot for any statewide office in November 2022.
Here is a news story about an independent candidate seeking to get on the ballot in North Dakota, for U.S. House. She is Cara Mund, a former Miss America and a recent graduate of Harvard Law School.
Ohio has an independent candidate on the ballot for Secretary of State, but it is not known if she will be on the ballot. Election officials say she has enough, but the Republican Party is challenging her petition validity. She is Terpsehore Maras.
In Washington state, an independent candidate for Secretary of State is on the November ballot. She placed second in the top-two primary, defeating two Republicans. Her only opponent in November is the Democratic incumbent.
In Alaska, it is impossible to know whether any independent or minor party candidate will be on the November ballot for any of the three races, Governor-Lieutenant Governor, U.S. Senate, or U.S. House. The August 16 primary will decide. The top four candidates will qualify.
Of course, there are some states without any statewide races in 2022: Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia. In those five states the top office is U.S. House, and in all those five states, there is at least one minor party or independent candidate on the ballot for a U.S. House race.
On August 5, the Eleventh Circuit expedited the lawsuit People’s Party of Florida v Florida Department of State, 22-12451. This is the case that challenges the Florida law that bars a new party from having any nominees in its first election on the ballot. All the briefs will be in by August 15, Monday.
Ballot Access News
July 2022 – Volume 38, Number 2
| This issue was printed on buff paper. |
Table of Contents
- FEDERAL COURT RULING STRIKES BLOW AT NEW JERSEY’S DISCRIMINATORY BALLOT FORMAT
- CALIFORNIA BILL TO REPEAL TOP-TWO INTRODUCED
- FLORIDA WIN
- FLORIDA LOSS
- NEBRASKA WIN
- MORE INITIATIVE NEWS
- MISSOURI TOP-FOUR INITIATIVE MAY FAIL TO QUALIFY
- LAWSUIT NEWS
- LAST TIME SOMEONE ELECTED TO FEDERAL OR STATE OFFICE WHO WASN’T A DEMOCRATIC OR REPUBLICAN PARTY NOMINEE
- 2022 PETITIONING FOR STATEWIDE OFFICE
- DEMOCRATS TRY TO KEEP NORTH CAROLINA GREEN PARTY OFF BALLOT
- DUAL LIBERTARIAN PETITIONS CIRCULATING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
- TENNESSEE LEGISLATOR SWITCHES FROM DEMOCRAT TO INDEPENDENT
- CALIFORNIA PEACE & FREEDOM, GREEN PARTIES IMPROVE ON 2018
- SOCIALIST WORKERS PARTY
- FEC DENIES HOWIE HAWKINS PRIMARY SEASON MATCHING FUNDS
- SUBSCRIBING TO BAN WITH PAYPAL
On August 5, a Florida state trial court disqualified Rebekah Jones from the Democratic primary, for U.S. House, First District. The basis is that she was briefly a registered independent (from June 2021 to August 2021) in Maryland. Jones’ name is on the primary ballot, but the judge ordered election officials not to count her primary votes. See this story.
Jones did not raise the constitutional issue. In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot bar parties from nominating non-members. Instead Jones disputed the evidence that she was briefly registered as an independent. The Florida law says no one can run in a primary who has not been a member of that party for one year before qualifying, and the qualifying date in 2022 was in June.
However, the constitutional issue can only be raised by a political party. For Jones to raise the constitutional issue, and win, the Democratic Party of Florida would need to be a plaintiff.