On April 17, the Maine Supreme Court ruled that the state should use ranked choice voting this year. See this news story.
The opinion is unanimous. Thanks to Rob Richie for the link to the opinion. The case is Maine Senate v Secretary of State, 2018 ME 52.
No independent candidate has ever been on an Indiana government-printed ballot for either U.S. Senate or Governor. Businessman Nathan Altman will attempt to get on the ballot this year for U.S. Senate. See this story.
No minor party or independent candidate petition for statewide office has succeeded in Indiana since 2000. Indiana is one of only four states in which Ralph Nader never got on the ballot, even though he is the person who placed third in 2000, 2004, and 2008.
On April 13, the Upstate Jobs Party, an unqualified party in New York state, filed a federal lawsuit against discriminatory New York state campaign finance laws. Those laws permit an individual to contribute more money to a qualified party than an unqualified party. The case is Upstate Jobs Party and Martin Babinec v Kosinski, n.d., 6:18cv-459. Here is the Complaint. Thanks to Joe Burns for this news.
The Constitution Party has a very similar case pending against a North Carolina law.
NBC News has published this article by political consultant Reed Galen. It explains how ballot access laws in many, if not most states, make it difficult or impossible for independent candidates to run.
According to this National Public Radio story, an independent candidate for U.S. House in Alaska, Alyse Galvin, has already raised $284,000 for her campaign, which is a lot for Alaska. The incumbent, Don Young, is running for re-election. He has been in Congress longer than any other member now serving.
