An initiative is circulating in Alaska for a top-four system.  Parties would no longer be able to nominate candidates for any partisan office except President.  Instead all candidates would run in the August primary, and only the top four could then appear on the November ballot.  The same initiative also makes campaign finance rules more restrictive.

The initiative has already received over $500,000 from Kathryn Murdoch, daughter-in-law of Rupert Murdoch, according to this story.

The system would not use ranked choice voting in the primary, but it would use ranked choice voting in the general election.  However, in races with no incumbent for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and Governor, that would be no help to minor parties.  When there is no incumbent for these important offices, there are invariably at least four major party candidates with name recognition.  With no ranked choice voting in the primary, it is very unlikely that any minor party candidate would place in the top four.

The measure is fundamentally illogical.  If parties are no longer permitted to have nominees, then there is no reason for a primary at all.  There should simply be a general election with ranked choice voting, so that no candidate, party, or point-of-view would be excluded from the general election campaign season.

It is unfortunate that Fairvote, would traditionally has been a friend to minor parties, is backing this initiative.

On November 22, Rocky De La Fuente filed a federal lawsuit against the Georgia law that gives parties complete discretion over whom to place on their presidential primary ballot.  The other states that give parties complete control over whom to list on presidential primary ballots are Florida and Minnesota.

The Georgia case is De La Fuente v Raffensperger, n.d., 1:19cv-5323.  It points out that De La Fuente first asked the Secretary of State about the law on October 23, but the Secretary of State has never responded.  The Complaint also points out that De La Fuente has been in contact with the Republican Party of Georgia and has submitted everything the party asked for, but he has reason to believe the party will exclude all candidates except President Trump.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge J. P. Boulee, a Trump appointee.

The Complaint argues that the Georgia law imposes an unconstitutional qualification on who can run for President, because the law is not designed to keep the primary ballot uncluttered, but rather bans candidates based on their views and relationships with state party officers.

On November 22, three Washington state Democratic presidential electors filed this reply brief in Chiafalo v Washington, 19-465.  This is the case over whether a state can punish “disobedient” presidential electors.  This is the final brief for the Washington state presidential elector case.  The next step in this case is for the U.S. Supreme Court to set a conference date to decide whether to hear it.