On July 27, the Pennsylvania Libertarian Party filed its statewide petition, which contains nominees for U.S. Senate, Governor, and Lieutenant Governor. The state required 5,000 valid signatures; the Libertarians submitted 11,000.

By the August 1 deadline, it is expected that statewide petitions from the Green and Constitution Parties will also be submitted. This year will be the first since 2002 than any statewide minor party or independent candidates were on the ballot in a gubernatorial year. However, in 2017, there was a Green on the statewide ballot for a partisan judicial race.

On July 27, independent candidate Christopher Graveline, who is running for Michigan Attorney General, filed a federal lawsuit, challenging the Michigan petition requirement for statewide independents. Graveline v Johnson, e.d., 2:16cv-11844.

In the entire history of the state, only twice has any independent candidate managed to get on the ballot for statewide office using the current requirement, which requires 30,000 signatures by the middle of July. The two were Ross Perot in 1992, and Ralph Nader in 2004.

The primary in Michigan is in August. Generally non-presidential independent candidate petition deadlines are unconstitutional if they are earlier than the primary day, or the day before. The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Victoria A. Roberts, a Clinton appointee. Here is the Complaint.

On July 26, a trial state court in New Mexico refused to order Carol Miller onto the November ballot as a candidate for Rio Arriba County Commissioner. She is appealing to the State Supreme Court. Although New Mexico generally requires all candidates to file petitions (except presidential nominees of qualified parties), for some reason New Mexico county candidates running in a primary don’t need any petition. But independents do, so the lawsuit depends on the State Constitutional provision that elections shall be “free and equal” to argue that independent candidates for county office shouldn’t need petitions either.