Florida’s Secretary of State keeps a list of initiative petitions that is updated frequently. According to the latest list, the initiative for a top-two system is no longer active.
The proponents raised $75,500 during March and April 2015, but only $5,000 during May. See this campaign finance report. Click on the “campaign finance activity” button. Thanks to Rich Moroney for the news.
The New York Times has this article by Professor Cliff Zukin, an expert on polling. His article says that polling accuracy is in steep decline. His observations are relevant to debate sponsors, who frequently only invite candidates who make a certain showing in polls. Thanks to PoliticalWire for the link.
The Gothamist here reports that Doug A. Kellner, co-chair of the New York State Board of Elections and a Democrat, now believes that the New York election law known as Wilson-Pakula does not pertain to presidential primaries. The Wilson-Pakula law says non-members may not run in primaries for other types of office unless party leaders let them run.
The Gothamist article mentions me, although that mention is not perfectly accurate. I did not say presidential primaries are controlled by federal law. They are controlled by state law. Here is a somewhat better story in Capital.
On June 22, Jill Stein formally announced that she is seeking the Green Party presidential nomination. She made the announcement on the radio show “Democracy Now!” hosted by Amy Goodman. Here is the transcript.
Dr. Ben S. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, is a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomination. He registered to vote in Palm Beach County, Florida, on July 24, 2013, and at that time he registered as a member of the Independence Party. On November 4, 2014, he changed his party affiliation to the Republican Party. See this story.
Before he was registered to vote in Florida, he was registered in Maryland, and while in Maryland he was a registered independent for several decades.
