On March 16, a U.S. District Court upheld Ohio’s ballot access law for newly-qualifying parties relative to the claims made by the Ohio Green Party.  The law was passed in 2013 and did not change the 1% (of the last vote cast) petition to get on the ballot, except that it improved the deadline, and added a distribution requirement, and required additional small petitions for convention nominees.  The 2013 law provides that newly-qualifying parties nominate by convention instead of by primary.  Here is the opinion.

Currently the Green Party is the only ballot-qualified party in Ohio other than the Democratic and Republican Parties.  Any other parties will need 30,560 signatures by July 6, 2016.

This decision doesn’t discuss the Libertarian Party’s main argument, which is that the new law violates the Ohio State Constitution.  Normally federal courts can’t decide whether a state law violates a state constitutional provision, but there are exceptions.  The Ohio State Constitution appears to mandate that all parties nominate by primary, and yet the new law says new parties nominate by convention.  A decision addressing the Libertarian Party’s points is likely soon.

On March 16, Gallup released this poll, asking voters whether they have a favorable or an unfavorable impression of the Democratic Party, and the same question for the Republican Party.  Gallup has been taking this poll starting in 1992.  For the first time in the history of this poll, neither major party registers a favorability rating of even 40%.  Many years ago, both major parties had positive ratings above 60%.

If the United States had nondiscriminatory election laws and practices relating to ballot access, debates, and campaign finance, it is obvious that new parties would arise and gain substantial support, just as they have in Great Britain and Canada.

Even now, the United States has a record number of one-state parties that are non-ideological and not associated with any particular interest group.  Independence Parties exist in Alabama, Florida,  Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, and South Carolina.  Parties named “Independent Party” exist in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, and Oregon.  The Moderate Party exists in Rhode Island.  South Carolina has a centrist party named “American Party.”  Massachusetts has a centrist party, the United Independent Party.  Colorado has a Unity Party.  Iowa has a New Independent American Party.  New Jersey has the D-R Party.  The United States had a centrist, non-ideological party called Americans Elect during 2010, 2011, and the early months of 2012, but it no longer exists.  In the past there were very few parties, either state or national, that were non-ideological and didn’t represent a particular interest group.  The birth and growth of such parties is a sign of the unhappiness with the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.  Thanks to PoliticalWire for the link.

All bills in the 2015 session of the Utah legislature to undo the changes to party nominations have failed.  See this story.  Therefore, the 2014 system will continue, at least for a year.  The 2014 changes make it possible for a candidate to get on a primary ballot even without showing substantial support at a party caucus or convention.  Also, the 2014 changes require all parties to let independents vote in their primaries.