Washington Post Summarizes Presidential Primary 2016 Schedules

Posted on by January 16, 2015
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The Washington Post has this summary of when presidential primaries will be held in each state in 2016. The article reveals how much uncertainty still remains for many states.

These states will hold a presidential primary for the Libertarian Party: Arizona; California; Delaware if any Libertarians can get on the party’s presidential primary ballot, which is very difficult; Idaho if at least two Libertarians file; Missouri; Montana if at least two Libertarians file; Nebraska; North Carolina; Oklahoma if the party gets on the ballot; South Dakota if the party gets on the ballot.

These jurisdictions will hold a presidential primary for the Green Party: Arizona; California; Delaware with the same note as for the Libertarians; District of Columbia; Massachusetts; New York; Ohio.

Montana Republicans Ask Ninth Circuit for Preliminary Injunction on Blocking Non-Party Members from Voting in Party Officer Elections

Posted on by January 16, 2015
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On January 15, the Republican Party county organizations that are suing Montana over the open primary asked the Ninth Circuit to grant injunctive relief, as to whether the party can block non-members from voting for party officers. The U.S. District Court had refused to grant such injunctive relief, saying there is no evidence in the case so far that non-members ever vote in Republican primaries for party office. The party committees argue that the case law is already clear that parties can always block non-members from voting for party officers. Therefore, the party says, there is no need for evidence on that point. In the Ninth Circuit, the case is Ravalli County Republican Central Committee v McCulloch, 15-35044.

New Maine Registration Data

Posted on by January 16, 2015
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The Maine Secretary of State has released a new registration tally, which can be seen at this link. Scroll down to the bottom to get the state totals. The Green Independent Party, for the first time, has surpassed 4% of the state total.

The only other parties in any state, other than the Democratic and Republican Parties, that have as much as 4% of their own state’s registration are the Independent American Party of Nevada (affiliated with the Constitution Party), the New York Independence Party, and the Oregon Independent Party. Thanks to Thomas MacMillan for the link.

Political Science Study Says Small Donors Tend to Help Extreme Candidates, Whereas Large Donors Tend to Help Moderates

Posted on by January 16, 2015
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The Washington Post has this article about research by Political Scientist Andrew Hall. The article says Hall’s research shows that small donors tend to prefer “extreme” candidates, whereas large donors prefer “moderate” candidates. Public financing amplifies the power of small donors, so the research then goes on to say that public funding contributes toward polarization. Thanks to the Center for Competitive Politics for the link.

British Greens Bolster Argument for Inclusion in Debates by Showing They Have More Dues-Paying Members than UKIP, which Is in the Debate

Posted on by January 15, 2015
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Great Britain will hold a House of Commons election in May 2015, and already the arguments over which parties should be included in BBC’s debates (for the potential prime minister candidates of each party) are raging. The BBC had already said four parties could participate: Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, and UKIP.

The Green Party has now demonstrated that it has more dues-paying members than UKIP. See this article. The BBC has acknowledged that the new information is relevant, so possibly BBC will change its mind and include the Green Party. David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party and the current prime minister, has been saying that he won’t participate unless the Greens are included. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.