The Chicago Tribune has this lengthy and detailed editorial, condemning Illinois ballot access laws. The editorial covers not only Republican efforts to eliminate competition, but Democratic efforts as well.
The editorial can be read for free if the reader signs up for five free articles per month.
The United Kingdom Independence Party has gained its first member of the House of Commons. See this story, which says that member Douglas Carswell, elected as a Conservative, has left the Conservative Party and become a member of UKIP. The UKIP is opposed to British participation in the European Union. Carswell has resigned, and there will be a special election soon. He represents Clacton, on the east coast of England. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.
According to this story, the chair of the Kentucky Republican Party wants each signature on the U.S. Senate Libertarian petition re-checked. The Libertarian Party already checked the status of each signature it collected.
On August 28, the Hawaii Supreme Court refused to hear Lathers v Abercrombie, scot-14-1069. This was a lawsuit filed by some Hawaii voters who were unable to vote in the August 9 primary because of flooding in their neighborhood. Here is the two-page order dismissing the case.
On August 26, the Third Circuit issued this 16-page opinion in Coffelt v Fawkes, 14-3280. In this case, the Third Circuit had issued an order on August 1 putting an independent ticket on the Virgin Islands ballot, but had not explained its reasoning. The opinion of August 26 does explain the reason for the order.
The independent ticket for Governor and Lieutenant Governor had been kept off the November ballot by Virgin Islands election officials, and by the U.S. District Court, because the Lieutenant Governor is a registered Republican. The Third Circuit said nothing in the Virgin Islands election law says that a candidate who uses the independent candidate procedure must not be a registered party member. The opinion is interesting because the Virgin Islands election code was largely copied from the Pennsylvania election code. However, the Pennsylvania election code says explicitly that a petitioning candidate must have ceased being affiliated with a qualified party at least 30 days before that year’s primary, and the Virgin Islands code doesn’t have that provision.
