No Alternative Candidates on Montana Ballot for Any Congressional Race

Posted on by September 14, 2020
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For the first time since 1988, there are no candidates on the ballot in Montana for either House of Congress, other than the Republican and Democratic nominees.

There are no Greens because the party was removed from the ballot by a state court, five months after it had qualified and had its own primary, at which it nominated a candidate for U.S. Senate.

There is no Libertarian on the ballot for U.S. Senate because two of the party’s nominees, in succession, withdrew. Originally Eric Fulton was running, but he withdrew. Then the party persuaded Susan Geise, a former state chair of the Republican Party, to take his place. But she withdrew two months later, and then it was too late to find yet another nominee. She is a County Commissioner in Lewis & Clark County, one of Montana’s most populous counties, and she said the health crisis made her local government duties too pressing for her to run a Senate campaign.

All the Alternative Minnesota Congressional Candidates are from One of the Two Marijuana Parties

Posted on by September 13, 2020
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All of the nominees for either branch of Congress in Minnesota this year, other than the Democratic and Republican nominees, are nominees of one of the two marijuana parties. The Legal Marijuana Now Party has a nominee for U.S. Senate and for three of the eight U.S. House races. The Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis also has a nominee for U.S. Senate, and for four of the eight U.S. House races.

Six of the eight U.S. House races with have a nominee from one of the marijuana parties.

Both of the marijuana parties are qualified, and thus their candidates did not need to collect any signatures. By contrast, all independents, and the nominees of any other parties, would have needed 2,000 signatures for U.S. Senate and 1,000 for U.S. House. No such petitions were completed.

For the First Time Since 1990, Arizona Has a Democratic-Republican Monopoly for all Congressional Races

Posted on by September 13, 2020
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This year, the only candidates on the ballot in Arizona for either House of Congress are Democrats and Republicans. This is the first time since 1990 that this has been true.

The reason there are no Libertarians is the fault of the 2015 bill passed by the legislature, making it virtually impossible for anyone to get on the Libertarian primary ballot. In 2019 the Ninth Circuit upheld the constitutionality of that law, HB 2608.

The reason there are no Greens is that the party is no longer ballot-qualified, due to the 2019 bill moving the deadline for a new party petition to November of the year before the election. That bill, SB 1154, has not yet been tested in court. But according to an unbroken, unanimous string of precedents, petition deadlines for new parties or independent candidates that are in the year before the election are always unconstitutional.

Even before the 2015 and 2019 changes, Arizona ballot access law was severe. The Constitution Party, in its entire history, has never been on the ballot in Arizona.

No independent candidate petitions for president or either house of Congress succeeded in 2020. For 2020 legislative races, there are no minor party candidates, and there is one independent for State House, 6th district.