On Monday, September 28, the Fifth Circuit issued a temporary stay in Texas Alliance for Retired Americans v Hughs, 20-40643. The U.S. District Court had ordered Texas to put a straight-ticket device on the November 3, 2020 ballot. The Fifth Circuit stay is only for a few days, while the Fifth Circuit considers the merits. The three judges who have the case are all appointees of George Bush Jr.: Edith Brown Clement, Catharine Haynes, and Jennifer Walker Elrod.
The Legal Marijuana Now Party has submitted its petition for party status in Nebraska. Assuming the petition has enough valid signatures, it will be on the ballot for 2022. It will remain on the ballot after November 2022 if it polls at least 5% for one of the statewide offices, or if its registration reaches 10,000. The offices on the 2022 ballot that the party could plausibly poll 5% for are Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney General, and Auditor. Then, if it gets 5% for any of those, it will be on the ballot in both 2024 and 2026.
Currently the only qualified parties in Nebraska are Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian. The Libertarian Party has well over 10,000 registrations, so it is not particularly motivated to run for the lesser state statewide offices that are up in 2022. That enhances the chances that the Legal Marijuana Party will poll enough votes in 2022 to remain on.
Om September 28, Pennsylvania Republican leaders asked the U.S. Supreme Court to countermand an order of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that extended the deadline for postal ballots to be received in election administration offices. The State Supreme Court said if the envelopes have no visible postmark, they need not arrive until Friday, November 6. Election day is November 3. Scranati v Pennsylvania Democratic Part, 20A53.
The request is in the hands of Justice Samuel Alito, who handles such matters for cases arising from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
Here is the final brief in Cowen v Raffensperger, n.d., 1:17cv-4660. This is the Georgia Libertarian Party’s lawsuit against the petition requirements for U.S. House, which were passed in 1943 and have never been used by a minor party, and have not been used by an independent since 1964. A decision should be out by the end of the calendar year.
Ballot Access News
September 2020 – Volume 36, Number 4
| This issue was printed on greeen paper. |
Table of Contents
