Willie Wilson Left off Mississippi Democratic Party by Mistake, Asks State Supreme Court to Order Reprint of Ballots

Mississippi holds its presidential primary on March 8. Willie Wilson petitioned to get on the ballot, and met the 500-signature requirement. The Democratic Party at first thought the petition needed 100 signatures in each of the old five U.S. House district, so they did not certify his name to the Secretary of State. Then the party became aware that there is no distribution requirement in effect, but by then some ballots had already been printed and mailed to overseas absentee ballots.

On February 10, the Mississippi Supreme Court heard arguments on whether the mistake should be corrected. The Secretary of State argues that because some overseas absentee voters received a ballot without Wilson’s name, therefore it is impossible to correct the mistake. But the U.S. Supreme Court came to a contrary decision in Norman v Reed in 1992. It ordered Cook County general election ballots reprinted only thirteen days before the general election, because the Harold Washington Party nominees for Cook County office had been wrongfully left off the ballot. Many thousands of Cook County absentee ballots had already been cast at that point. There are other examples as well. See this story.

U.S. District Court Judge in Illinois Libertarian Party Case Again Fails to Keep Her Promise to Issue Opinion

In 2012, the Libertarian Party of Illinois filed a federal lawsuit against the state law that tells newly-qualifying parties (but not old parties) that they must run a full slate of candidates. There is still no decision from the U.S. District Court. On the morning of February 9, 2016, Judge Andrea R. Wood said she would have the opinion out in the next 24 hours, but it has now been more than 48 hours and there is no decision. In the past she has made similar promises and failed to keep them.

Arizona House Passes Bill Eliminating Future Presidential Primaries

On February 10, the Arizona House passed HB 2567, which eliminates the presidential primary for years after 2016. The vote was 37-22. Here is the summary of what the bill does. It also requires the national chairperson of each qualified party to inform the Secretary of State by September 1 of the identity of that party’s presidential and vice-presidential nominees. Not every qualified party that nominates presidential candidates actually has a national chairman; there are many one-state political parties in the United States that participate in the presidential election in a single state.

Maine Secretary of State Will Respond to Libertarian Party Ballot Access Lawsuit by February 17

The Maine Secretary of State will file a response in U.S. District Court by February 17, in Libertarian Party of Maine v Dunlap, 2:16cv-2. The Libertarian Party is challenging the decision by the Maine Secretary of State that the party is not ballot-qualified. The lawsuit also challenges the December 1 deadline for groups to qualify as parties. The party is seeking injunctive relief, so the case will move fast.

On February 10, the party’s request to file a brief in excess of the page limit was granted.