The Hill has this story, announcing that Evan McMullin is on the Colorado ballot. The story does not say who is vice-presidential nominee is, but that should be known on Friday when the Colorado Secretary of State releases the information. The story also does not say what McMullin’s ballot label is. It might be “Better for America” or it might be “independent.”
On August 11, Rocky De La Fuente, independent presidential candidate, filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Georgia law that requires petitioning candidates for president to submit the names of their presidential elector candidates on July 1, even though the petition itself (which would have a list of the electors in any event) is not due until July 12. De La Fuente v Kemp, n.d., 1:16cv-2937. It is assigned to Judge Mark H. Cohen, an Obama appointee.
De La Fuente submitted twice as many signatures as needed, but the state has said the petition is invalid because the names of the electors weren’t turned in by July 1. The Constitution Party of Georgia had also failed to submit the names of their presidential elector candidates. When they realized this, they gave up on the petition.
North Carolina requires declared write-in presidential candidates to submit 500 signatures. This sounds easy, but in practice is not. Jill Stein is the only write-in presidential candidate who has enough signatures, according to this page at the Board of Elections. The Constitution Party believes that it submitted enough valid signatures but that some counties refused to check them by the deadline. Monica Moorehead of Workers World Party also submitted over 500 signatures, but was told she didn’t have enough valid.
The largest number of write-ins for president in a general election in North Carolina ever recorded was the 2,108 Ralph Nader received in 1996. He didn’t file for write-in status in 2000. Nor did Jill Stein file in 2012.
August 10 is the Tennessee deadline for a new party to submit a petition for recognition. No group filed such a petition. This is not surprising, because the law requires 33,816 valid signatures. No group has successfully petitioned for party status in Tennessee since the American Party did so in 1968.
A U.S. District Court is expected to rule in the next week on whether the Tennessee party petition procedure is unconstitutionally difficult.
On August 11, a 3-judge U.S. District Court struck down North Carolina’s legislative districts as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Covington v State, m.d., 1:15cv-399. The opinion is by Judge James A. Wynn, an Obama appointee. It was also signed by Judge Thomas D. Schroeder, a Bush Jr. appointee, and Catherine Eagles, an Obama appointee. Here is the 167-page opinion.
The decision says that the state need not redraw the districts this year, so as not to disturb the 2016 election. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.
