On September 5, the Sixth Circuit issued an order that permits Michigan to remove the straight-ticket device from 2018 ballots. Michigan State A. Philip Randolph Institute v Johnson, 18-1910. The state legislature had repealed the authorization for the device in early 2016, but then supporters of the device had filed a lawsuit later that year, arguing that removing the device discriminated against African-American voters. The U.S. District Court had restored the device for the 2016 election, and earlier this year, made that permanent and told Michigan to use the device again in 2018.

The vote was 2-1. The opinion is by Judge Danny Boggs, a Reagan appointee. It is also signed by Judge Raymond Kethledge, a Bush Jr. appointee. The dissent is by Judge Bernice Donald, an Obama appointee. The dissent starts on page 24.

The Sixth Circuit in 2016 had let the device remain on the ballot for one election only, but now says that the U.S. District Court was probably wrong, and therefore this year the state may remove the device.

The Socialist Party has placed a candidate for State Senate on the Maine ballot. She is Maia Dendinger, running in the 5th district, around Orono. She is the first Socialist Party nominee on the ballot in Maine since 1952, when the Socialist Party’s presidential candidate, Darlington Hoopes, was on the Maine ballot.

The Socialist Party should not be confused with the Socialist Equality Party, which had a nominee for Maine State Senate on the ballot in 2006.

On September 5, the Nevada Secretary of State posted the August 31, 2018 voter registration data. For the first time, the Nevada Libertarian Party registration exceeds 1% of the state total. This means the party remains on the ballot, whether it passes the vote test or not. In practice, though, the party always easily passes the 1% vote test, so the practical significance is relatively small. Here is a link to the tally. The Independent American Party, the Nevada affiliate of the Constitution Party, has been above 1% of the registration for many decades.

Nevada posts totals for active voters and inactive voters. BAN’s practice in reporting registration data has always been to acknowledge only active voter data.