This Washington Post story on Evan McMullin, independent presidential candidate, says he has not received support from big contributors. They may explain why he has not sued any states with restrictive ballot access laws so far. The story also has a great deal of new information about McMullin, including that his mother is now in a same-sex marriage.
John E. Palmer has this op-ed advocating that Maine voters pass the statewide initiative for instant runoff voting. It is in the Portland Press-Herald, the state’s largest newspaper.
The Hill has this article by Tom Squitieri, on the behavior of the Commission on Presidential Debates in recent past elections. Although there is a great deal of commentary about this, most other articles do not bring up the 2000 incident when guards at one of the presidential debates were furnished with pictures of all the minor party presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The guards were instructed to memorize the appearance of these individuals and bar them from the audience if they showed up.
The story also relates the 2012 incident when Jill Stein was arrested and kept in handcuffs for hours, for attempting to be in the audience at one of the debates.
U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Scullin will hold a hearing on Tuesday, August 30, in Pidot v New York State Board of Elections, n.d., 1:16cv-859. The judge had already ruled on August 17 that the Republican Party primary for U.S. House, 3rd district, should be done over again, on October 6.
Two Republicans had filed to be on the June 2016 primary ballot in that race, but one of them was left off the ballot because it was erroneously thought he didn’t have enough valid signatures. The candidate who was omitted, Philip Pidot, then sued and won a right for a new primary with his name on the ballot. But now the other Republican, Jack Martins, wants the general election for that district postponed to December 6. The new hearing is to resolve that request.
The Minnesota petition deadline for independent presidential candidates, and the nominees of unqualified parties, is Tuesday, August 23. Already the Secretary of State has acknowledged that three petitions are valid: Socialist Workers, Green, and Legal Marijuana Now. See the state’s list here.
The only ballot-qualified parties in Minnesota are Republican and Democratic. Thanks to Rick Lass for the link.
