December 9 was the deadline for candidates to file in the Arizona Democratic presidential primary. Eighteen candidates filed. They merely had to show that they were on the ballot in at least two other states.
Here is the list. There will be no Libertarian presidential primary and no Republican presidential primary, because those parties told the Secretary of State they don’t want a presidential primary.
The Arizona Democratic Party is currently suing the state over the law that puts the nominees of the party that won the last gubernatorial election (within that county) on the top line on the ballot. Mecinas v Hobbs, 2:19cv-5547. On December 16, U.S. District Court Judge Diane J. Humetewa said the state must file its response by January 20, including its expert reports. The state had wanted a deadline of early March 2020 because it says it still hasn’t hired any experts, and professors tend to be too busy at this time of year to decide whether they want to work for the state.
The Democratic plaintiffs then have until February 3, 2020 to submit a rebuttal, and the hearing will be March 5, 2020.
On Sunday, December 22, U.S. District Court Judge Victoria A. Roberts, a Clinton appointee, struck down Michigan’s 30,000-signature requirement for statewide independent candidates. Graveline v Benson, e.d., 2:18cv-12354. Here is the 47-page opinion.
The decision says that until the Michigan legislature changes the law, statewide independent candidates will need 12,000 valid signatures. The basis for 12,000 is that the Michigan law requires 12,000 signatures for offices for which the population in the relevant district is between 2,000,000 and 4,999,999. It happens that there are no jurisdictions in Michigan with that population range, although in the past Wayne County was in that range, so when that was true independent candidates for partisan county countywide office in Wayne County needed 12,000 signatures.
In Michigan, 30,000 signatures is less than 1% of the last gubernatorial vote. The basis for the decision is that the requirement has been in effect since 1988, and in all those years, only two statewide independent petitions succeeded, both for president (Ross Perot in 1992 and Ralph Nader in 2004).
There are two California legislative races in which only two candidates filed for the March 3, 2020 primary, and one of them is a minor party member. Therefore, it is virtually certain that those two races in November will list a minor party member, under the top-two system.
In the State Senate, 35th district, the only two candidates are an American Independent Party member, Anthony Perry, and a Democrat.
In the Assembly, 58th district, the only two candidates are a Green, Margaret Villa, and a Democrat.
There are fifteen legislative races in which only one person filed to be on the ballot. Therefore, anyone who files as a write-in in the primary for one of those seats has a chance to qualify for the general election ballot; all that is necessary is for that candidate to outpoll all other write-in candidates in that same primary. Minor parties thus have a chance in those races, although it is normal for a member of the major party that has no one listed on the ballot to capture the 2nd “write-in” spot, instead of a minor party member.
The State Senate races with only one candidate on the primary ballot are these districts: 3,9,25,31,33,39 (six districts). The Assembly districts are: 5,7,11,17,21,23,45,48,51 (nine districts). To be a write-in candidate in a partisan primary, the candidate needs a petition signed by 40 registered voters, due in mid-February 2020. No filing fee is needed.
The Eleventh Circuit will hear oral argument in Jones v DeSantis, 19-14551, on January 29, 2020. This is the case on whether Florida ex-felons who cannot afford to pay back restitution, court costs, and fines may register to vote. The U.S. District Court had said that they may.
On December 19, 2019, the U.S. District Court Judge Mark Hinkle refused to stay his own order, as to registration. But he did stay the portion of his decision that says they may vote.
