A draft of the 2016 platform for the Democratic Party says that the party will oppose partisan gerrymandering. See page 17. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.
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On July 1, the North Carolina legislature passed SB 667, which makes several unrelated election law changes. One section of the bill changes the ballot order on general election ballots for candidates running for State Appeals Court seats. The existing law says that the ballot order for candidates for State Appeals Court seats is random.
The bill says that the candidates who are affiliated with the party that won the most recent gubernatorial election are always listed first. Republicans won the 2012 gubernatorial election. North Carolina has five elections this November for State Court of Appeals. In four of them, one Republican is running against one Democrat (candidates for the fifth seat are not yet determined, because it is a special election). Assuming SB 667 is signed into law, the Republicans will enjoy the top line.
Parties do not nominate candidates for State Court of Appeals, but a law passed last year says that the party affiliation of each candidate for that office should be printed on the ballot. See this story. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.
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The New Mexico Secretary of State has determined that the American Delta Party has enough valid signatures to be on the 2016 ballot. This is the party created to help Rocky De La Fuente get on the ballot. Earlier this year New Mexico had verified that the Party for Socialism & Liberation petition is also valid. New Mexico is still checking the petition filed by Better for America. Parties that didn’t need to petition in 2016 are the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Green, Constitution, and Independent American Parties.
The Washington Secretary of State has verified that the petitions for the Green Party, the Socialist Workers Party, and the Party for Socialism & Liberation, are valid. See this story. Thanks to Tom Yager for the link.
On July 5, the Libertarian Party and the Constitution Party of Kentucky asked for an Emergency Status Conference in their ballot access case. The case is pending in U.S. District Court. The parties are eager to get a ruling on whether they will be put on the ballot automatically or whether they need to collect signatures this year. The case is Libertarian Party of Kentucky v Grimes, e.d., 3:15cv-86.
The Libertarian and Green Party statewide petitions were not challenged in Illinois, so the Libertarian Party is now on the ballot for President in 34 states, and the Green Party in 21.