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Tennessee Accepts Five Independent Presidential Petitions

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Richard WingerAugust 26, 2016

The Tennessee Secretary of State says that five independent presidential petitions have enough valid signatures:

1. Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)
2. Jill Stein (Green Party)
3. Rocky De La Fuente (independent)
4. Alyson Kennedy (Socialist Workers Party)
5. Mike Smith (independent)

The Secretary of State rejected these six petitions:

1. Darrell Castle (Constitution Party)
2. James Germalic (independent)
3. Kyle Kopitke (independent)
4. David Limbaugh (independent)
5. Evan McMullin (Better for America)
6. Emidio Soltysik (Socialist Party)

Some of these results had already been announced. It is very surprising that Darrell Castle’s petition was rejected. It contained 500 signatures, and was circulated by motivated volunteers. Castle lives in Tennessee. He will be seeking to re-validate signatures. The Secretary of State says Castle’s petition only had 232 valid signatures. The requirement is 275 signatures.

Mike Smith lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Here is his web page.

Jim Hedges petitioned in Tennessee, and probably had enough valid signatures, but just before he submitted his petition, two of his presidential elector candidates changed their mind and said they would not serve, and they refused to sign the candidacy document.

Montana Says Both Presidential Petitions are Valid

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Richard WingerAugust 25, 2016

On August 25, the Montana Secretary of State said both presidential petitions submitted this year are valid. They are for Jill Stein and Rocky De La Fuente. The law requires 5,000 signatures due August 17. Stein will have the “Green” label next to her name.

The qualified parties in Montana are Democratic, Libertarian, and Republican.

Minnesota Republican Party Files Alternate Presidential Election Candidates Timely, but Broke its Own Bylaws in the Process

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Richard WingerAugust 25, 2016

Minnesota election law requires qualified parties to file their presidential elector candidates, and an equal number of alternates, by August 29. The Republican Party has complied with this law. However, when it first nominated presidential elector candidates earlier this year, it forgot it was supposed to also nominate alternates. See this story.

When the party realized this, it called a meeting of the state committee, nominated alternates, and forwarded them to the Secretary of State by the legal deadline. However, the meeting that was called to choose alternates was in violation of the party bylaws, which say a 10-day notice is required for meetings. The party ignored that bylaw because of the time emergency. Thanks to Jeff Becker for the link.

Three Ballot-Qualified Parties in Oregon Likely to Skip Presidential Election

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Richard WingerAugust 25, 2016

Oregon has eight qualified parties. It is likely that three of them won’t nominate anyone for President.

The Working Families Party generally nominates candidates who are also Democratic nominees, but the Working Families Party in Oregon does not expect to nominate Hillary Clinton or anyone else.

The Constitution Party of Oregon is in political disagreement with the national Constitution Party, and does not expect to nominate Darrell Castle or anyone else for President this year.

The Independent Party had its own private presidential primary, and no one got as much as 50%, so under its own bylaws, it can’t nominate anyone for President.

The other five parties are Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Progressive, and Republican. The Progressive Party nominated Jill Stein, so her name will be on the ballot as “Pacific Green, Progressive.”

U.S. District Court Enjoins Illinois 5% Petition Requirement for Candidates for U.S. House who Make a Substantial Effort

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Richard WingerAugust 25, 2016

On August 25, U.S. District Court Judge Sue Myerscough, an Obama appointee, enjoined the Illinois petition requirement for independent candidates, and the nominees of unqualified parties, for U.S. House, at least as applied to candidates who make a very substantial effort. The 26-page decision puts David Gill on the ballot. He is an independent candidate in the 13th district. He submitted over 11,000 signatures to meet a requirement of 10,754, but was found to have 8,593 valid.

The opinion relies on the historical record showing it is extremely rare for any petitioning candidate for U.S. House to ever overcome a petition requirement greater than 10,754. UPDATE: here is the most comprehensive newspaper story about the decision, in the State Journal-Register, the Springfield daily newspaper.