The Democratic Party presidential electors from 2016 who wanted to vote for someone other than Hillary Clinton in the electoral college have filed a notice of appeal to the Tenth Circuit. Nemanich v Williams, 18-1173.
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A U.S. District Court in Illinois is currently adjudicating a lawsuit against the state’s 5% (of the last vote cast) petition requirement for U.S. House. The trial in the case had been set for September 18, 2018, but it has now been moved to April 16, 2019. Discovery is still underway.
Illinois and Georgia are the only states in which independent candidates for U.S. House need a petition greater than 3% of the last gubernatorial vote. The Georgia case against the 5% (of the number of registered voters) is also undergoing discovery and will probably have a trial this year.
Attorneys for Illinois have made a hint about settling the case, but that would involve persuading the legislature. The later trial date gives the 2019 session of the legislature an opportunity to pass a bill that eases the requirement.
On April 26, a U.S. District Court in New York refused to order the state to hold a special election to fill the vacancy U.S. House seat, 25th district. See the two-page order here in Seubert v Cuomo, w.d., 6:18cv-6303.
The court said nothing about the constitutional issue, but based its order on a technicality.
California elects an Insurance Commissioner as a statewide partisan race on June 5, 2018. There are four candidates on the ballot, two Democrats, one independent, and one member of the Peace & Freedom Party. Here is an Associated Press story about the race. Although the story is very long, it does not mention Nathalie Hrizi, the Peace & Freedom candidate.
The story focuses on the fact that the winner will be the “first” of his type to hold the job, if elected. One of the Democrats is a Muslim; the other is a gay Hispanic. The independent, Steve Poizner, would be the first independent elected to statewide in California. But if Hrizi were elected, she would be California’s first woman Insurance Commissioner.
The story is an example of the extreme reluctance of the mainstream California media to mention any minor party candidates. Because they are perceived as having no chance to place first or second in June, they are not covered at all. There have been quite a few televised debates for California statewide candidates this season, but no minor party candidate has been invited into any televised debate.
Bob Brown was a Republican member of the Montana legislature for 27 years, ending his legislative career as leader of the State Senate. He was the Secretary of State 2000-2004, and was the Republican nominee for Governor in 2004. He writes here that if John Kasich were an independent candidate for President in 2020, Kasich would have Brown’s support.