On April 8, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Helen Adams issued a ten-page opinion in Libertarian Party of Iowa v Pate, s.d., 4:19cv-241. She had issued a text order on March 31, saying the March petition deadline for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties is unconstitutional, and that an opinion explaining that would be issued soon. She has now issued it.

The deadline was in August, until 2019, when the legislature moved it to March for all office except president. The opinion says that there was no problem for election administration back when the deadline was in August, and that the deadline harms unqualified parties by forcing them to have chosen all their non-presidential nominees by March, whereas the qualified parties don’t choose their nominees until the June primary.

California elects all 80 members of the Assembly this year, as well as 20 members of the State Senate. Filing has closed for the June primary. There are thirteen legislative races with only one person whose name will be on the primary ballot.

California permits write-ins in the primary, but not in the general election (for partisan office). Any write-in candidate who outpolls any other write-in candidate in those thirteen races will appear on the November ballot. Minor parties typically recruit candidates to file as write-ins in such races. The districts are two State Senate races, the 24th and 26th (both in Los Angeles County); and eleven assembly races: 8th and 9th in the San Joaquin Valley, 14th and 18th in Alameda County, 32nd in the San Joaquin Valley, 59th in Orange County, and these Los Angeles County districts: 41, 43, 48, 54, and 57.

Pennsylvania held a special election on April 5 to fill the vacancy in the State House, 116th district. The results: Republican 65.50%; Democratic 29.56%; Libertarian 4.94%.

When this district last elected someone, in November 2020, the results were: Republican 72.31%; Democratic 27.69%.