Six Months Has Passed Since Seventh Circuit Heard Full-Slate Case

Posted on by August 24, 2017
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The Seventh Circuit held oral argument in Libertarian Party of Illinois v Scholz on February 24, 2017, and still hasn’t released its decision.  This is the case in which the U.S. District Court last year struck down the Illinois law requiring newly-qualifying parties to run a full slate of candidates.  The state is trying to get that decision reversed.

California Bill to Require Presidential Primary Candidates to Reveal Tax Returns Advances

Posted on by August 24, 2017
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On August 23, the California Assembly Appropriations Committee passed SB 149.  This is the bill that forces candidates running in a presidential primary to reveal their income tax returns.  The bill had already passed the Senate and had already passed the Assembly Elections Committee, so now it goes to the Assembly floor.  The vote was 10-5.

Although bills to require presidential candidates to reveal their income tax returns had been introduced in several states this year, the California bill seems to be the only such bill that is likely to pass.  It would have no effect on independent presidential candidates.

Ozy On-Line Magazine Story on Centrist Project

Posted on by August 24, 2017
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Ozy, an on-line international magazine, has this story about the Centrist Project, with a focus on Maine and Colorado.

Mainstream media is interested in the Centrist Project’s 2018 independent candidates, because of the perception that the Donald Trump presidency is weighing down the popularity of the Republican Party, and yet the dissatisfaction does not seem to translate automatically to support for the Democratic Party.

The mainstream media perception may be unfair to the nation’s other nationally-organized parties, especially the Libertarian Party and the Green Party.  It will be important to watch whether the Centrist Project can really recruit a sizeable number of high-qualify independent candidates for 2018.