Here is a lengthy news story about Mike Duggan, independent candidate for Governor of Michigan in 2026. The story does not mention that Michigan has a straight-ticket device, which will harm Duggan’s chances. Michigan is the only state that still has a straight-ticket device.
Delaware HB 65 moves the non-presidential primary from September to April. Because Delaware links the date of the primary to the deadline for creating a new party, if the bill becomes law, the deadline for qualifying a new party moves from August to March.
The bill passed the House in April, and passed the Senate Elections & Government Affairs Committee in May, but since then it has not moved. The last day of the session is Monday, June 30. On Saturday, June 28, the legislature posted the Senate Agenda for June 30, and HB 65 is not on the agenda. So it seems it will not pass. However, Delaware has a two-year legislature session, so it could be alive in 2026.
The deadline would be unconstitutional, under a Third Circuit precedent from New Jersey, which struck down an April deadline for the nominees of unqualified parties to get on the ballot. Delaware and New Jersey are both in the Third Circuit.
On June 26, the legislature recalled LD 1666 from Governor Janet Mills’ desk. The bill had been passed and sent to the Governor earlier. It is very unusual for a legislature to pass a bill but then take it back off the Governor’s desk. The bill will now continue to survive, because Maine has a two-year legislative session. But it won’t move until next year.
The bill expands ranked choice voting to include state office in general elections. Maine already has RCV for primaries for state office, as well as primaries and general elections for federal office.
Recently, the American Solidarity Party and the Prohibition Party each submitted petitions in Alaska to be on the 2028 presidential ballot. Alaska has a procedure for this that does not require the groups to have chosen their presidential nominees.
On June 26, the Peace & Freedom, Green, and Libertarian Parties filed this brief in U.S. District Court in Peace & Freedom Party v Weber, n.d., 3:24cv-8308. This is the lawsuit against the California top-two system. The brief is 40 pages.
