The Green Mountain Party was formed earlier this year to influence politics and government in Vermont. It is fiscally conservative. Vermont has two methods for newly-qualifying parties to get on the ballot. If they show they are organized in any ten towns by the end of an odd year, they are ballot-qualified and can nominate by convention with no need for petitions.

Or, they can place nominees on the November ballot by petition. The nominees will have the party name on the ballot next to their name. Those petitions are due in August of the election year. The Green Mountain Party will not meet the deadline for having committees in ten towns, but it is free to use the petition method later this year if it wishes.

On December 15, the Kentucky Republican Party informed the State Board of Elections not to hold a Republican presidential primary. Instead the party will hold a caucus. Although the party had made that decision several months ago, it waited until December 15 to make the decision binding.
Here is the Republican Party’s web page concerning its March 5 caucus. Paper ballots will be used. Candidates have until January 7, 2016, to file. So far eight candidates have paid the $15,000 filing fee.

The Huffington Post has this interesting interview with Larry Sanders, brother of Bernie Sanders. Larry Sanders lives in Oxford, England, and was a Green Party nominee for Parliament in the 2015 election. Larry Sanders says, “It’s unlikely but not impossible” that his brother will win the Democratic nomination in July 2016. Larry Sanders also predicts that if Bernie Sanders is the Democratic nominee, then he will win the election.