The ballot-qualified Moderate Party hosted Rhode Island’s first gubernatorial debate of 2018, according to this story. Only two Democratic candidates, and one Republican candidate, chose to appear. The Moderate Party itself doesn’t have a gubernatorial candidate yet. If it doesn’t run someone for Governor this year who polls 5%, it will go off the ballot.
Egypt held a presidential election March 26-28. Only two candidates were on the ballot. Most leading opponents of the incumbent urged a boycott of the election. See this wikipedia story. The incumbent was re-elected with 97% of the vote, although that only includes the valid votes. Many invalid votes were cast, and only 40% of the electorate cast a ballot.
Former New Mexico State Senator Rod Adair, a Republican, has this op-ed in the Albuquerque Journal. He criticizes the recent op-ed by the Secretary of State for ignoring legislative history as she tried to show that she has authority to restore the device with no legislative authority.
The New York Working Families Party will nominate candidates in May, according to this story. For Governor, the party must decide whether to nominate incumbent Andrew Cuomo, or Cynthia Nixon. Those two candidates are also both seeking the Democratic nomination, but the Democratic primary is not until September.
On April 2, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Tripp v Scholz, 17-1129. This was an Illinois Green Party case that challenged the Illinois requirements for nominees of unqualified parties to get on the ballot for state legislature. They are so severe, no third party candidates appeared on the Illinois ballot in 2016 for the legislature.
The U.S. Supreme Court has not granted any cert petition filed by a minor party or an independent candidate, involving ballot access, since 1991. Although the Court granted Burdick v Takushi in early 1992, that case (involving write-in votes) was filed by a Democratic Party voter and did not concern third parties or independents directly.
The case that was granted in 1991 was Norman v Reed, an Illinois case.
