Eric Adams, incumbent Mayor of New York City, is running for re-election in November 2025 as an independent candidate. He submitted two petitions, one with the label “Safe and Affordable” and one with the label “End Anti-Semitism”. Both petitions had enough valid signatures. But the Board of Elections said he must withdraw one of them, because they interpret the law to prohibit an independent from being on the ballot twice (one for each label).

Adams says that is unfair, because Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is on the ballot twice, with his labels being “Democratic” and “Working Families.” He may sue. In the meantime it is reported that he will choose to be on the ballot with the “Safe and Affordable” label.

On August 19, the Colorado Libertarian Party released an invitation to major party candidates to sign a pledge on certain political issues. Major party candidates who sign the pledge with then avoid having a Libertarian Party opponent. See this story.

There is nothing about this so far on the Colorado Libertarian Party’s website.

On August 19, U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi issued an order in Kim v Hanlon, the case over New Jersey ballot format in primary elections. The judge wants each side to submit a brief on whether or not the case should be dismissed on standing grounds. The order says none of the plaintiffs have alleged that they expect to run for office in future elections.

The judge had enjoined New Jersey’s ballot format last year, but so far there has still been no resolution on whether the ballot format is unconstitutional. The legislature has already modified the old ballot format law.

The lead plaintiff, Senator Andy Kim, probably expects to run for re-election in 2030, when is term is up, so presumably his brief will say that.