Gloria La Riva Files Request for Injunction in District of Columbia Ballot Access Case

Posted on by July 24, 2020
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On July 24, Gloria La Riva, presidential nominee of the Party for Socialism & Liberation, filed this request for injunctive relief in La Rova v District of Columbia Board of Elections, 1:20cv-01937. This is the case that challenges the number of signatures needed for a presidential candidate who uses the independent petition procedure. The requirement is 5,007 signatures. Normally the petition requirement for other districtwide partisan offices in D.C. is 3,000 signatures, but earlier this year the City Council lowered those petitions to 500 signatures, due to the health crisis. But the Board did not ease the presidential petition.

The D.C. presidential petition requires more signatures, as a percentage of the number of votes cast for president in November 2016, than any state except for Indiana. And D.C. has the second-shortest petitioning period for independent presidential petitions. The lawsuit asks that the presidential petition requirement be reduced for 2020, especially given that the city lowered the petition for all the other offices.

Eleventh Circuit Will Hear Florida Ballot Access Case on July 31

Posted on by July 24, 2020
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The Eleventh Circuit will hear Independent Party of Florida v Lee on Friday, July 31. This is the ballot access case filed by the Independent Party and the Party for Socialism & Liberation. It challenges the Florida law that says ballot-qualified parties can’t be on the ballot for president unless they are recognized by the Federal Election Commission as “national committees”, or unless they submit a petition of 1% of the number of registered voters, which this year requires 132,781 signatures.

The panel will be Judges William Pryor, a Bush Jr. appointee; Robin Rosenbaum, an Obama appointee; and Robert J. Luck, a Trump appointee.

Louisiana Judge Wants to Run for Re-Election but Due to Hospitalization is Unable to Sign His Declaration of Candidacy

Posted on by July 24, 2020
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Baton Rouge, Louisiana state trial judge Richard “Chip” Moore desires to run for re-election. However, the law requires him to sign a declaration of candidacy and file it by Friday, July 24. He is hospitalized and though he is recovering, he cannot move his arms or hands. He is in court hoping to obtain a court order letting him file. See this story. So far the lower courts have refused any relief. He is asking the State Supreme Court to rule in his favor.

Arkansas Independent Candidate for U.S. Senate Files Eighth Circuit Brief

Posted on by July 24, 2020
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On July 22, Dan Whitfield, independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Arkansas, filed this opening brief in the Eighth Circuit in Whitfield v Thurston, 20-2309. This is a health crisis ballot access case. The U.S. District Court had denied injunctive relief, so he won’t be on the ballot unless he wins in the Eighth Circuit.

There is no Democratic nominee in the Arkansas U.S. Senate race. So far the only two candidates on the November ballot are the Republican and Libertarian nominees.