Howie Hawkins, who is seeking the Green Party presidential nomination, hopes to qualify for primary season matching funds by the end of 2019. If he does, he will be able to receive those funds in January 2020. The federal law on primary season matching funds does not allow any presidential candidate to receive the funds earlier than January 1 of the presidential election year.

Jill Stein qualified for primary season matching funds in 2016, but she didn’t receive the funds until April 14, 2016.

The Federal Election Commission has ruled many times that primary season matching funds may be used to pay petitioners to get the candidate or that candidate’s party on the general election ballot. Therefore, the sooner the presidential candidate receives the money, the better for that candidate’s general election ballot access.

The federal “Equal Time” law was passed in the 1930’s, and said radio had to give equal time to all candidates for office. Over the years the courts have whittled it down, so that now it has no effect except to apply to candidates who have a regularly-scheduled radio or television show. If they run for office, their employer must give equal time to all their opponents. So, invariably, individuals who have regularly-scheduled radio or television host jobs are told by their employers that their show must be suspended during their candidacy.

Green Party candidate Joseph DeMare has a regularly-scheduled radio show, so, as this article explains, he had to choose between continuing the show, or running for Bowling Green, Ohio city council. He chose to keep his job, and gave up his candidacy.

As already noted, on July 11, the Libertarian, Green, Constitution, and America’s Party of Texas filed a federal lawsuit against the various barriers that keep them off the ballot, or inhibit their ability to nominate candidates. Miller v Doe, s.d., 1:19cv-700. Here is the 31-page Complaint.

Here is a Texas Tribune news story about the lawsuit.

UPDATE: also see this story.