California Gubernatorial Poll for All Fifteen Candidates on Ballot

Posted on by April 25, 2014
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Earlier this month, Clear Path Strategies conducted a poll for the June 3 California gubernatorial primary. This was not a telephone poll. Instead, all respondents were shown a list of all fifteen candidates on the ballot, which includes their party membership and their occupation. See this San Francisco Chronicle story for the results (the results for each candidate are near the bottom of the story).

Luis Rodriguez, Green Party candidate, is at 2.6%. Cindy Sheehan, Peace & Freedom Party candidate, is at 2.3%. Robert Newman, an independent who has been endorsed by the Constitution Party, is at 3.1%.

Jerry Brown is at 45.6% and Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly is second with 18.3%.

Ohio Supreme Court Adds a Democrat to the May 6 Primary Ballot Even Though Early Voting Has Already Started

Posted on by April 25, 2014
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On April 21, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that Zachary Scott’s name should be added to the Democratic Party primary ballot, even though some ballots had already been printed and some voters have already voted. The primary is May 6. Scott is running for Democratic State Central Committee. Here is the opinion in State ex rel Scott v Franklin County Board of Elections, 2014-1685.

Scott needed five valid signatures. He submitted nine signatures. The Board invalidated five signatures. One signature was invalidated because the voter had printed her name on the signature line on her voter registration form, but on the petition, she signed in cursive writing. The Franklin County Board of Elections had held a hearing and this particular voter testified that she was the signer. Nevertheless, the Board disqualified her signature because it felt that since she had printed her name when she registered to vote, she had an obligation to print her name on the petition. The Supreme Court unanimously rejected that reasoning.

Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Making Minor Ballot Access Improvements

Posted on by April 24, 2014
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On April 22, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed SB 1466. It makes three ballot access improvements. For a newly-qualifying party that just wants to be on the ballot in a single county, the petition is lowered from 5% to 2.5% of the last gubernatorial vote. The vote test for a county party to remain on the ballot is lowered from 20% to 5%.

Finally, in a special election, a newly-qualifying party can get on with a petition of 2.5% of the last gubernatorial vote within that district. Previously, there was nothing a new party could do to get on the ballot in a special election. This new procedure is wildly impractical, because generally in special elections, the time to collect signatures is short. A special U.S. House election would require the collection of approximately 4,500 valid signatures. This change in the law was caused by the Libertarian Party lawsuit last year concerning a special legislative election, in which a U.S. District Court put the Libertarian Party on the ballot in that special election.

Arkansas State Trial Court Says Government Photo-ID Law Violates Arkansas Constitution

Posted on by April 24, 2014
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In 2013 the Arkansas legislature passed a bill requiring voters at the polls to show a government photo-ID. On April 24, a Circuit Court in Pulaski County ruled that the legislature exceeded its authority, because the bill conflicts with very detailed provisions of the Arkansas Constitution on voter registration and voting. Here is the 8-page opinion. The case is Pulaski County Election Commission v Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners. The Arkansas Republican Party had intervened in the case on the side of the state. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.