Alaska Elections Office Agrees to List Party Affiliations for Nominees of Unqualified Parties

On September 25, the Alaska Division of Elections changed its mind, and will print the party affiliations on the ballot for nominees of unqualified parties. The affected candidates are all Libertarians running for state legislative seats. See this story. One of the Libertarian nominees, Scott Kohlhaas, had filed a lawsuit on September 25, Kohlhaas v State, 3AN-20-08141.

The state’s change of mind means that some ballots will be reprinted, although the number of such ballots is small. UPDATE: see this news story.

Maine Republican Opponents of Ranked Choice Voting Ask Maine Supreme Court for a Stay

On September 24, Republican opponents of ranked choice voting asked the Maine Supreme Court to stay its own ruling on whether voters will use ranked choice voting for president in November. See this story. Probably the Maine Supreme Court will refuse, and then the Republican Party opponents of RCV will ask for U.S. Supreme Court review.

Oral Argument Set for Independent Voters Project Lawsuit Against California Presidential Primary Rules

On October 2, oral argument will be heard in Boydston v Padilla in San Bernardino County Superior Court, CIV-DS-1921480. This is the case filed last year by the Independent Voters Project, which argues that the California election laws concerning the presidential primary violate the state and federal constitutions.

In California, each qualified party is entitled to its own presidential primary, and each party is free to decide for itself whether to allow independent voters to vote in its primary. Independent Voters Project argues that the system discriminates against voters who are registered independents. In both 2016 and 2020, the Democratic, Libertarian, and American Independent Parties allowed independents to vote in their presidential primaries. The Republican, Green, and Peace & Freedom Parties did not. The plaintiffs failed to get injunctive relief last year, and the new hearing is to decide declaratory relief. Here is the brief of the Independent Voters Project. The brief does not mention that the true purpose of a presidential primary is to elect delegates to party presidential national conventions. Thanks to Chad Peace for the link.