An experienced professional petitioner recently attempted to petition for a minor party in Alaska. He reports that petitioning is much more difficult than in normal times. Wearing the mask creates problems. No one can see the petitioner’s smile. The petitioner’s voice is somewhat muffled, and in hot weather, wearing a mask is uncomfortable.
He was only able to obtain signatures at 40% of his normal rate in that location, which is in front of a grocery store.
On May 28, a new group to help work for the National Popular Vote Plan was announced. It is “Libertarians for the National Popular Vote”. It will do what it can to extend support for the plan. The advisory board consists of Gary Johnson, Lincoln Chafee, Ed Lopez, Kevin R. L. Martin, and Michael Melendez. Here is the group’s website.
On May 29, U.S. District Court Judge Miranda Du, an Obama appointee, issued an order in Fair Maps Nevada v Cegavske, 3:20cv-271. She extended the petition deadline for initiatives from June 24 to August 5. Here is the Opinion. This should make it possible for the Green Party, which is not on the ballot in Nevada, to also win a deadline lawsuit. The Nevada deadline for new party petitions is June 5. If the state can have an initiative deadline in August, it ought to be able to also cope with an August deadline for petitions to create a new party. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the news about today’s decision.
On May 27, the Denver District Court, a state trial court in Colorado, ruled that the Governor’s order permitting electronic signatures for initiatives does not violate the state constitution. Ritchie v Polis, 2020cv-31708. The case had been filed by opponents of an initiative.
On May 28, the Alabama Libertarian Party filed this brief in its lawsuit over the list of registered voters. The Alabama Secretary of State gives the list free to the qualified parties, but it wants approximately $35,000 from any other political party that wants the list. Libertarian Party of Alabama v Merrill, m.d., 2:19cv-69.
In 1970, the U.S. Supreme Court summarily affirmed a decision (Socialist Workers Party v Rockefeller) that said if the government gives a free list of the voters to the qualified parties, it must give the list free to unqualified parties who are petitioning to be on the ballot. Because U.S. Supreme Court decisions are binding on the entire nation, this should have settled the matter. But the Alabama Secretary of State is fiercely fighting the lawsuit anyway. The Secretary of State claims the Libertarian Party is not a bona fida party because it is not on the ballot. But, of course, the reason it is not on the ballot is because of the state’s draconian ballot access laws. If the Libertarian Party had the list, that would help it in its ballot access efforts.
