Arizona Green Party Files Lawsuit Against February 28 Petition Deadline for Newly-Qualifying Parties

Posted on by February 25, 2014
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On February 25, the Arizona Green Party filed a federal lawsuit against the February 28 petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties. The case is Arizona Green Party v Bennett, 2:14cv-375.

There are no reported precedents that have ever upheld a petition deadline for a newly-qualifying party earlier than April. The Arizona Green Party has been working very hard on its petition to get back on the ballot, but it needs another few weeks to finish. The requirement is 23,041 valid signatures.

The original Arizona ballot access law, passed in 1891 when Arizona was still a territory, had a deadline of 20 days before the general election for newly-qualifying parties. In 1909, when the territory instituted primaries, the deadline was moved to 30 days before the September primary. In 1970 the deadline was advanced to 60 days before the primary. In 1979 the deadline was advanced to 115 days before the primary. In 2000 it was advanced to 180 days before the primary. In 2009 the primary was moved from early September to late August.

Thus, over the past century, the deadline has moved from October, to August, to July, to May, to March, to February. If the current deadline had been in effect in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive Party could not have been on the Arizona ballot. If the current deadline had been in effect in 1854, the Republican Party, which was formed on July 6, 1854, could not have been on the ballot.

Ohio Libertarian and Green Parties File Additional Statewide Candidates as Write-ins in the May Primaries

Posted on by February 25, 2014
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As reported earlier, some of the Green and Libertarian candidates for statewide Ohio office failed to qualify for the primary ballot of their own parties, because their petitions were determined to lack 500 valid signatures. Therefore, the two parties have filled those vacant slots with new write-in candidates in the primaries. Ohio law doesn’t permit a candidate who tries and fails to get on a primary ballot to then file as a write-in. Therefore, the parties had to recruit different individuals to run. See this story.

Mitt Romney Endorses Utah Initiative that Eliminates Party Nominating Conventions

Posted on by February 25, 2014
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Utah is the only state in which no one can run in a major party primary, if that individual doesn’t receive substantial support first at a party meeting. An initiative has been submitted that would change the law, and provide that a normal primary be used for all nominations. Mitt Romney has endorsed that initiative. See this story. The story also reveals that Romney’s letter says he has been actively working to persuade all states to move to presidential primaries, and away from presidential caucuses. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.

Former Youth Leader for Unity ’08 and Americans Elect Likely to be an Independent Candidate for U.S. House

Posted on by February 25, 2014
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Nick Troiano, 24, has set up an exploratory committee for a possible independent race for U.S. House in Pennsylvania’s 10th district. He had been Unity ’08’s College Coordinator, and had been the Communications Manager for Americans Elect. His advisory committee for the congressional race includes Professor Charles Wheelan, a Dartmouth Professor who had advocated in favor of a new party called the Moderate Party. It also includes Russ Verney, Ross Perot’s campaign chairman in both 1992 nd 1996. And it includes Larry Norton, a former general counsel to the FEC.

Troiano’s early political activism included local activity in favor of freedom of information; see this story about that from 2009.

The Tenth District is strongly Republican. In 2012 its vote for U.S. House was: Tom Marino, Republican, 179,563; Philip Scollo, Democrat, 94,227. The district is physically large and includes the small-population counties of the center of Pennsylvania, as well as the counties in the northeast corner. Troiano will need 3,592 signatures by August 1.