November 3, 2015 Pennsylvania Turnout Will Determine How Many Signatures are Needed in 2016

Posted on by October 28, 2015
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Pennsylvania holds a statewide election on November 3, 2015. The voter turnout will determine how many signatures are required for statewide minor party and independent candidates in 2016. According to this Lancaster newspaper, observers of politics are expecting a low turnout.

The only statewide partisan elections are judicial races. The formula for determining how many signatures are needed for statewide office in 2016 is 2% of the vote total, for the highest vote-getting judicial candidate.

In the 2013 election, voter turnout was extraordinarily low, resulting in a 2014 petition requirement of 16,639, the lowest in Pennsylvania since the existing law had been in effect (the law was passed in 1971). Nevertheless, no statewide minor party or independent petitions succeeded in 2014.

October 2015 Ballot Access News Print Edition

Posted on by October 28, 2015
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Ballot Access News
October 1, 2015 – Volume 31, Number 5

This issue was printed on white paper.

Table of Contents

  1. SEVENTH CIRCUIT SAYS GIVING VOTERS NO CHOICE IS A SEVERE BURDEN ON VOTING RIGHTS
  2. NEW HAMPSHIRE LOSS
  3. U.S. SUPREME COURT CONFERENCE DATE FOR CALIFORNIA TOP-TWO
  4. TWO LAWSUITS ON GENERAL ELECTION PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES
  5. PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES
  6. PENNSYLVANIA BALLOT ACCESS BILL
  7. MINNESOTA SECRETARY OF STATE WILL AID BALLOT ACCESS
  8. TOP-TWO SUPPORTERS IGNORE WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATIVE PROBLEMS
  9. LAWSUIT NEWS
  10. SOUTH DAKOTA INITIATIVE
  11. NUMBER OF NAMES ON BALLOT IN DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES
  12. 2016 PETITIONING FOR PRESIDENT
  13. CALIFORNIA GREEN PARTY FINALLY GETS ITS RULES INTO ELECTION CODE
  14. KENTUCKY GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE INCLUDES ALL THREE CANDIDATES
  15. GALLUP POLL FINDS 60% FAVOR A NEW MAJOR POLITICAL PARTY
  16. MAYOR BLOOMBERG MAY RUN FOR PRESIDENT AS AN INDEPENDENT
  17. JILL STEIN SEEKING MATCHING FUNDS
  18. CANADA HOLDS 5-PARTY DEBATE
  19. MAINE GREEN PARTY WILL LET INDEPENDENTS VOTE IN ITS PRIMARY
  20. SUBSCRIBING TO BAN WITH PAYPAL

U.S. District Court Judge Hints that Utah’s Primary Election Law is Unconstitutional

Posted on by October 27, 2015
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On Tuesday, October 27, oral arguments were held in U.S. District Court in Utah, in the Republican-Constitution Party lawsuit against the law on how parties nominate candidates. The judge said he is inclined to find the law unconstitutional. See this story. It is not clear which provision is in greater jeopardy. The two challenged procedures are: (1) forcing parties to let candidates on their primary ballot who have little support at a party caucus; (2) forcing parties to let independent voters vote in their primaries. The law says parties that don’t allow these things can still run nominees, but the nominees must petition to be on the November ballot in the same manner as independent candidates. Utah only requires 1,000 signatures for statewide independent candidates and smaller numbers of signatures for other office.

Alabama Secretary of State Acknowledges that Constitution Party is Ballot-Qualified in Marshall County

Posted on by October 27, 2015
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Alabama law requires a party to poll 20% of the vote for any office, in order to be on the ballot automatically, without submitting a petition. In November 2014, the Constitution Party polled over 20% of the vote for a partisan countywide office in Marshall County. The Secretary of State has acknowledged that the party is on the ballot (for county office only) in Marshall County in 2016, and has sent the party the voter registration rolls for the county. The party has the right to decide for itself whether it will nominate by convention or primary. It will probably choose a convention.

Marshall County has over 40,000 registered voters and is in northern Alabama. Thanks to Joshua Cassity for this news.

Under a U.S. Supreme Court precedent from 1970, Rockefeller v Socialist Workers Party, 400 U.S. 806, if the government gives a free list of the registered voters to a qualified party, it must also give the same list free to an unqualified party that is attempting to petition its way onto the ballot.