On May 20, the Center for Competitive Democracy sent this letter to CNN, warning that corporations that sponsor candidate debates are breaking campaign finance laws if they don’t have objective criteria on who gets invited. The letter also points out that, so far, CNN’s criteria do not permit President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump to qualify. Therefore, if CNN invites them anyway, it is not adhering to objective standards.
On May 17, the Wisconsin Elections Commission approved the request of No Labels to cancel its qualified party status. The vote was unanimous.
This is the first time a qualified party has voluntarily canceled its qualified status in Wisconsin since 1946, when the Progressive Party did so. In 2012, when Americans Elect was a qualified party in Wisconsin, it did not ask to be removed. However, no one ran for any partisan office in its 2012 primary.
On May 20, the Arizona Secretary of State filed his brief in No Labels Party v Fontes, 24-563. The issue is whether a qualified party in Arizona has a freedom of association right to block anyone from filing in its primary for offices for which the party doesn’t want any candidates. The U.S. District Court had ruled in favor of No Labels Party.
The Ninth Circuit decision in this case, when it comes, will not be in time to affect the 2024 election. But No Labels will also be on the Arizona ballot in 2026, so it might have an impact that year.
On May 20, the Connecticut Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Moakley v State Elections Enforcement Commission. Connecticut has public funding for candidates for state office. The issue was whether the state could insist that public financed candidates refrain from using any public funding to criticize a candidate running in a race other than their own race. The state had fined several Republican state legislators for receiving public funding and then criticizing the Democratic nominee for Governor, who was running for re-election the same year.
The lower court had upheld fines levied against the Republican legislative candidates, but the lower court is now reversed.
Although Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is an independent candidate, he has formed parties in a few states to help him with ballot access, including Hawaii. His We the People Party may have a candidate for the Hawaii legislature this year. Christian Ulufanua has taken out papers to be a We the People candidate for the legislature, although he hasn’t submitted them. He only needs 15 signatures.
