Howie Hawkins Files Federal Lawsuit Against Amount of Oklahoma Presidential Filing Fee

Posted on by July 16, 2020
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On July 15, Howie Hawkins, Green Party presidential nominee, sued Oklahoma over the $35,000 filing fee for president. The fee is only paid by presidential candidates who are not the nominees of a qualified party. There is a petition alternative to the filing fee, but it requires 35,592 signatures. Hawkins v Ziriax, w.d., 5:20cv-687.

No filing fee in Oklahoma exceeds $2,000, except for the presidential filing fee. The U.S. Supreme Court in Anderson v Celebrezze said states should not require more difficult ballot access requirements for independent presidential candidates, than for independent candidates for other office.

U.S. District Court in Ohio Rejects Ballot Access Relief for Minor Party and Independent Candidates

Posted on by July 16, 2020
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On June 24, U.S. District Court Judge James L. Graham, a Reagan appointee, rejected ballot access relief for independent candidates in Ohio. Hawkins v DeWine, s.d., 2:20cv-2781. The 12-page order says that because Ohio had exempted “First Amendment Activity” from its lockdown order, there is no basis for relief. The opinion says, “The State’s COVID-19 orders imposed no significant burden on plaintiffs’ signature-gathering rights.”

Howie Hawkins has appealed to the Sixth Circuit. The case number is 20-3717. Ohio requires 5,000 signatures for statewide independent petitions. The presidential petition is due August 5. The only ballot-qualified parties in Ohio are Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian.

Independent U.S. Senate Candidate in Maine Files Scathing Reply Brief in Ballot Access Case

Posted on by July 16, 2020
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On July 15, Tiffany Bond, an independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, filed this reply brief in her ballot access lawsuit, Bond v Dunlap, 1:20cv-216. It is worth reading. The case concerns whether Maine should give ballot access relief due to the health crisis. Bond was half-finished with her petition when the crisis began.

Three Independent Presidential Candidates Pay $35,000 to Qualify for Oklahoma Ballot

Posted on by July 15, 2020
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This is the first year in which it has been possible for an independent presidential candidate to get on the Oklahoma ballot without a petition. Instead they can qualify with a $35,000 filing fee. On July 15, the deadline, three independent presidential candidates paid their fee and submitted a list of presidential elector candidates. They are Brock Pierce, Kanye West, and Jade Simmons.

Here is the website for Jade Simmons. She lives in Texas. The website says she will only try to get on the ballot in states that don’t permit write-ins for president.

Quinnipiac University Presidential Election Poll

Posted on by July 15, 2020
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On July 15, Quinnipiac University Polls released a presidential election poll. Respondents were only asked if they would vote for President Trump or Joe Biden, but 3% volunteered that they would vote for someone else, and 2% volunteered that they would not vote for anyone. The other categories are Biden 52%, Trump 37%, and don’t know 6%. Here is the poll. Scroll down to question two. Thanks to Political Wire for the link.