People’s Party Files Intent to Qualify for Party Status in Maine

The People’s Party, which is a national party in formation, has filed the notice in Maine that is required for new parties, before they can start their voter registration drive. Maine requires new and previously unqualified parties to obtain 4,000 registered members. The deadline is January 2022. It makes sense that the People’s Party would start in Maine, because Maine has ranked choice voting for congress, although still doesn’t have it in the general election for state office. See the People’s Party’s press release.

Alaskan Independence Party Files Lawsuit Against Top-Four Primary

On December 1, the Alaskan Independence Party filed a lawsuit against the top-four primary, the initiative that passed earlier this month. The lawsuit is filed in state court and depends on the Alaska constitution. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in 2005 in State of Alaska v Green Party that the Alaska constitution gives greater protection to political parties than the U.S. Constitution does. In the 2005 case, the state had required separate primary ballots for each qualified party. The Green Party and the Republican Moderate Party sued over that law, and said they had a right to participate in a blanket primary, in which members of each of those two parties would appear on a joint primary ballot. They won the case, even though when they filed the case, in 2003, they were no longer qualified parties. See this story about the new lawsuit.

The Alaskan Independence Party wants to nominate its own candidates. The top-four primary permits individuals who have no support from the party to run for office with the party’s label, and the party thus loses control over its name on ballots. UPDATE: here is the Complaint.

Three Michigan Candidates for Presidential Elector File Lawsuit Alleging that Vote-Counting Equipment Switched 289,000 Votes

On November 25, three Republican candidates for presidential elector from Michigan filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that the Dominion vote-counting machines used in parts of Michigan switched 289,000 votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. King v Whitmer, 2:20cv-13134. The Complaint alleges that the machines were first used to help Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez win his elections. Here is the amended complaint, which was filed on November 29. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Linda V. Parker, an Obama appointee.