The only state in which state election officials haven’t released official election returns for November 2018 is West Virginia. Also there is still one unresolved state legislative race in Connecticut, and one unresolved U.S. House race in North Carolina.
The New York Conservative Party remains a powerhouse among third parties in the U.S. It has been ballot-qualified starting in 1962, longer than any other party in any state other than the Democratic and Republican Parties. It always has nominees for a majority of all the congressional and legislative seats that are up, although most of them are also Republican nominees.
In 2018, its vote was lower than it had been for some time. In the U.S. House races it contested, and in the State Senate candidate races it contested, and in the Assembly races it contested, it polled a smaller share of the vote than at any time since 2008. Its gubernatorial percentage was the lowest since 2006.
The U.S. House race showings in the districts it contested were: 2018 4.77%; 2016 5.49%; 2014 8.46%; 2012 4.84%; 2010 5.96%; 2008 3.36%.
Its State Senate showings in the districts it contested were: 2018 5.51%; 2016 6.25%; 2014 9.43%; 2012 6.56%; 2010 6.68%; 2008 4.21%.
Its Assembly showings in the districts it contested were: 2018 6.15%; 2016 7.23%; 2014 10.05%; 2012 6.73%; 2010 7.64%; 2008 4.21%.
Former New York Assemblymember Richard Brodsky, who served in the legislature for 27 years, has this op-ed in the Albany Times-Union. The op-ed defends fusion voting. The very fact that Brodsky wrote this op-ed suggests there is a real possibility that the New York legislature will abolish fusion voting when it starts work in 2019.
The Ninth Circuit will hear two ballot access cases on Tuesday, March 12, at 9 a.m., in San Francisco. They are the case against the number of signatures for an independent presidential candidate in California, De La Fuente v Padilla; and the case against how members of some small political parties get on their own party’s primary ballot in Arizona, Arizona Libertarian Party v Reagan.
On December 27, the plaintiffs in Citizens for Fair Representation v Padilla filed a notice of appeal to the Ninth Circuit. This is the case that argues the extreme size of California legislative districts violates the U.S. Constitution, by depriving ordinary Californians of an opportunity to influence their state legislators. The State Senate districts have almost 1,000,000 inhabitants; the Assembly districts almost 500,000.
