On August 12, Michigan filed this opening brief in Graveline v Benson, 20-1337, the case over the number of signatures for statewide independent candidates. This is not a case that involves the health crisis. It is the latest round in the case that began in 2018, when independent candidate Chris Graveline filed a lawsuit against the law requiring him to obtain 30,000 signatures to run for Attorney General. He won the case in the U.S. District Court, and now the state is trying to get it reversed.

This is very old news, but it had not been reported at Ballot Access News previously. On March 14, 2018, Wyoming HB 40 was signed into law. It repealed the law that said if a voter signed more than one independent candidate petition for the same office, only the first signature counted. This bill was a general election code bill passed in the budget session, so BAN missed it back in 2018.

In 2016, Evan McMullin, an independent presidential candidate, petitioned in Wyoming. He had enough valid signatures, except that enough of his signers had already signed for Jill Stein and/or Rocky De La Fuente, that he did not qualify. They, of course, had petitioned before he had, because he had not entered the race until August 10, 2016. Thanks to Kara Ramsey for this news.

On August 10, Jo Jorgensen dismissed her Maine ballot access lawsuit, because she had enough valid signatures, so the case is moot. It was a case concerning the health crisis.