The Kentucky Democratic presidential primary ballot will list four names. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders qualified by demonstrating that they are already on the ballot in at least 20 other state primary ballots. Martin O’Malley qualified by showing that he has qualified for primary season matching funds. Rocky De La Fuente qualified by submitting 5,000 signatures. He turned in more than 10,000 signatures to meet that standard.

There is no Republican presidential primary in Kentucky this year. Instead the party will use a caucus.

On January 25, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to even look at the cert petition filed in the Michigan ballot access case, Erard v Johnson, 15M76. The issue is the law that says newly-qualifying parties need twice as many signatures as old parties need votes to stay on. The Clerk of the court erroneously reported to the justices that the case had been filed a day late, and presented the case as one in which Matt Erard was seeking to be excused for being late. Erard, the Socialist Party pro se activist who filed the case, was not actually late, but it is not likely that any Justice, or any clerk for any Justice, read the actual account of why the clerk thought it was late.

In 1968 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Williams v Rhodes that it is unconstitutional for any state to require more support for a new party than for an old party.

Although Arkansas law generally won’t let qualified minor parties nominate anyone for the November 2016 election later than November 2015, the Arkansas Governor has given permission for the Libertarian Party to nominate a new candidate for US House, 3rd district. See this story. Permission was given because the party’s original nominee for US House unexpectedly moved out of the state after he was nominated.