On July 1, Congressman Bryan Steil, chair of the U.S. House Administration Committee, and Congressman Jim Jordan, chair of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to the Chair and Administrator of the North Carolina State Board of Elections.  The letter orders the North Carolina officials to produce all documents relating to the decision of the Board not to certify the Constitution, We the People, and Justice for All Parties.  The two-page letter notes that the county boards have determined that each of the three petitions has enough valid signatures, and notes that the state board’s refusal to certify the three parties is a matter of concern to the two U.S. House committees, both of which have jurisdiction over various laws and processes in federal elections.  Thanks to several people for this news.

We the People is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr’s party.  Justice for All is Cornel West’s party.  The nominee of the Constitution Party is Randall Terry.

Krist Novoselic and others have formed the Cascade Party, a party that will exist only in Washington state.  It supports proportional representation and wants to be a ballot-qualified party so as to help it run candidates for legislature.  However, the Washington definition of a qualified party is one that polled 5% for president in the last election.

Therefore, its first step is to qualify for the presidential ballot this year.  Then it will engage in lobbying and a potential lawsuit to change the state’s definition of a party.  That definition has only existed since 2004.  Before 2004, a qualified party was one that polled 5% for any statewide office.  Since the definition changed, only the Democratic and Republican Parties have been ballot-qualified in Washington.

Here is the party’s website.  Washington permits a group to get on for president with 1,000 signatures, which can be collected on-line.  The party’s website illustrates how the petition can be circulated.  Because the law requires the group to identify its national ticket, the party is running James Carroll for president and Krist Novoselic for vice president, but assuming they qualify, they will then withdraw as part of their plan to change the definition of “party.”

The Democratic Party appears likely to formally nominate candidates for president and vice-president on Sunday, July 21.  There would be no physical meeting.  All the delegates were vote using an electronic meeting.  See this story.

The physical convention in Chicago in August would thus be deprived of much of its meaning.