December 2015 Ballot Access News Print Edition

Ballot Access News
December 1, 2015 – Volume 31, Number 7

This issue was printed on white paper.


Table of Contents

  1. INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING INITIATIVE QUALIFIES IN MAINE
  2. MINOR PARTIES FILING THREE NEW LAWSUITS
  3. CPD STICKS TO 15% RULE JUST AS EVIDENCE AGAINST IT PILES UP
  4. FOUR REPUBLICANS GET FREE TV TIME
  5. UTAH REPUBLICAN AND CONSTITUTION PARTIES WIN PRIMARY LAWSUIT
  6. INITIATIVES FOR NON-PARTISAN ELECTIONS FOR CONGRESS IN TWO STATES
  7. KENTUCKY LIBERALIZES VOTING RIGHTS FOR EX-FELONS
  8. SLOW JUDGES
  9. TOP-TWO NEWS
  10. NINTH CIRCUIT STRIKES DOWN TUCSON’S CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS
  11. PETITION RULES FOR INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
  12. PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY CANDIDATES ALREADY ON BALLOT
  13. SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE RE-ELECTS ITS SEATTLE CITY COUNCILMEMBER
  14. MINOR PARTIES WIN 14 PARTISAN ELECTIONS ON NOVEMBER 3, 2015
  15. RALPH NADER GETS SOME RELIEF FROM PENNSYLVANIA COURT COSTS
  16. SEVERAL PARTIES NOMINATE FOR NATIONAL OFFICE LAST MONTH
  17. SUBSCRIBING TO BAN WITH PAYPAL

George Pataki Withdraws from the Republican Presidential Race

On December 29, George Pataki, former Governor of New York, ended his quest for the Republican presidential nomination. See this story. His name is now on the ballot in Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. He cannot remove his name from these ballots. Either these states don’t permit withdrawal, or it is too late to withdraw. Thanks to commenter David for this news.

Rocky de la Fuente Submits 18,000 Signatures to be on North Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary Ballot

On December 28, Rocky De La Fuente submitted approximately 18,000 signatures, hoping to get on the Democratic presidential primary ballot in North Carolina. The law says candidates discussed in the news media are put on the ballot automatically. The North Carolina Board of Elections refused to put him on the ballot under that provision, so he used the alternate method of obtaining 10,000 valid signatures. It is believed he is the first presidential primary candidate in North Carolina history to attempt this method.

The signatures were all gathered in eleven days. So far, according to the North Carolina Board of Elections web page, 8,384 signatures have been checked, and only 4,423 of them were valid, for a validity rate of 52.8%. If that trend continues, he will fall short by approximately 500 signatures. In that case, he may be able to show that the county election boards did a poor job of checking the signatures.

Constitution Party Files Notice that it Hopes to Qualify in Texas in 2016

Texas has a unique law that requires newly-qualifying parties to notify the state by January 2 of the election year, if they wish to petition during the election year. Petitioning itself can’t start in Texas until March.

The Constitution Party has now filed the notice. The parties that had previously filed it for 2016 are Modern Whig, Reform, Christian, and Veterans.