Chevy Chase, Maryland, held an election for city council on May 7. Two incumbents were running for re-election and were the only names on the ballot. They were Pat Burda and John Bickerman. A write-in candidate decided to run the week before the election. Although write-in candidates for Maryland federal and state office must file a declaration of write-in candidacy in advance of the election, there is no requirement in Chevy Chase elections that write-in candidates file a declaration of write-in candidacy.

The write-in candidate, Fred Cecere, chose to campaign by only telling people who already supported him that he was running. The incumbent who was defeated did not even realize she had a write-in opponent until late on election day. The vote was: Bickerman 228, Cedere 168, Burda 119.

Back in the 1850’s, before there were government-printed ballots, the American Party often campaigned for its nominees in secret. Voters could make their own ballot, but most voters chose a ballot printed by the party. The American Party would sometimes conduct no publicity for its nominees, but would distribute its ballots to votes whom it knew were supportive. Cecere’s write-in victory has promoted criticism that his secret campaign was unethical. Thanks to Doug McNeil for the news.

On May 11, the Nevada Senate passed SB 421. It switches Nevada from a caucus state to a presidential primary state. The primary would be in late February, and the bill moves the primary for all other office to February as well. If the bill becomes law, Nevada would have the nation’s earliest primaries for Congress. Thanks to Josh Putnam for this news.

Conservatives in New Hampshire are making plans to hold a caucus on October 17, to which all registered New Hampshire Republicans and independents are invited. The specific location in New Hampshire will be chosen by the end of May. The hosts will have a list of the New Hampshire voter registered voters. The caucus will then allow all attendees to choose their favorite Republican presidential candidate. The voting will be in multiple stages, using the principles of ranked-choice voting. After the first ballot, the two presidential candidates who poll the fewest votes will be dropped. Successive voting rounds will continue to eliminate candidates.

The group hopes to use this event to give the winning candidate a chance to then present himself or herself as the choice of conservatives, in preparation for the January 2016 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary. The organizers realize the winner of their caucus might not be a conservative, but they are willing to run the risk. This project uses the name “The 603 Alliance.” The basis for the name is that New Hampshire’s area code is 603.