On September 21, the Modern Whig Party informed Michigan’s Secretary of State that it is about to start collecting signatures on a petition to be on the 2016 ballot. Michigan lets petitioning groups set their own petitioning period, but the job must be done in six months. So now the Modern Whig Party must collect 31,519 signatures by March 18, 2016. Thanks to John Wilhelm for this news.
According to this article, the Kentucky League of Women Voters is hosting a debate for candidates for Lieutenant Governor on September 23. Three candidates are on the ballot, a Democrat, a Republican, and an independent, Heather Curtis.
The League says no one can be in its debate who didn’t register at 10% in the polls. However, no poll has ever been taken since Heather Curtis entered the race. The last poll was in July, before she and her gubernatorial running mate had submitted their ballot access petition. Her running mate was included in the last gubernatorial debate, because the sponsors of the gubernatorial debate were not so obtuse as to rely on a poll that didn’t mention all three candidates.
On September 18, the Texas government filed its main brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Evenwel v Abbott. That is the lawsuit over whether the U.S. Constitution requires states to draw U.S. House and legislative districts on the basis of how many eligible voters live in the area, as opposed to the normal practice of using population. The Texas state government is defending the normal system. The people who filed the lawsuit are opposed to using population.
Although the U.S. Supreme Court has accepted this case, the Court still hasn’t set the oral argument date. Thanks to Marty Lederman for the link.
According to this story, James Evans, chair of the Utah Republican Party, says Mitt Romney could be the 2016 Republican presidential nominee even if he doesn’t run in any presidential primaries. According to Evans, a national party rule says that a new candidate can be brought into the convention voting if a majority of delegates from eight states propose him or her.
Kenneth Jackson, an independent candidate for House of Commons in the Canadian election next month, says that if he is elected, he will vote for bills on the basis of how his constituents wish. Voters who live in his district will have the ability to express their policy opinions via the internet. Furthermore, he proposes a new system of representative government, in which all members of Parliament would also vote on the basis of public opinion.
Here is his website, which explains the concept. Elections would no longer be based on geographical constituencies and there would be no political parties. Each candidate would suggest his or her own list of issues. Members of Parliament would no longer travel to the national capital to do their work.
