On election day, November 4, Jennifer Florida won a temporary restraining order against St. Louis election officials, who had threatened to seize her campaign literature if it described Florida has an “independent Democrat.” Florida was on the ballot as an independent candidate for Recorder of Deeds for the city. The lawsuit was in U.S. District Court, and is Florida v Board of Election Commissioners for the City of St. Louis, Missouri, e.d., 4:14cv-1840.

Florida’s only opponent was the Democratic nominee. Florida was the incumbent. She had been appointed earlier in the year, after it was too late to run in the Democratic primary. Missouri holds primaries in August but requires primary candidate to file by March. Florida was defeated, even though she had been endorsed by the Mayor and Congressman William Clay. See this story. Probably the straight-ticket device worked against her.

The restraining order issued by the court on election day says, “It is hereby ordered that defendant, its officeers, employees, or agents, and those acting on its behalf or in concert with it are prohibited from seizing plaintiff’s campaign materials and shall immediately return any campaign materials seized from Plaintiff.” The Board of Election Commissioners had felt it is improper for an independent candidate to use the name of a qualified political party to describe herself.

Reason has this interesting article about what the exit polls tell us about voters who voted for Libertarian Party nominees in the North Carolina and Virginia Senate races.

Saira Blair, a Republican nominee for West Virginia legislature, was elected on November 4. She is 18 years old and a college freshman. When she won the May 2014 primary, ousting an incumbent, she was only 17 years old. See this story.