On August 29, California SB 1043 was put on the inactive file. Since the legislature will go home for the year either Friday night (August 29) or on Saturday (August 30), the bill is dead. It changed the wording on the petition for party status to delete the requirement that the petition say that the signers “represent” the party. In 2011, when Americans Elect became the first group to successfully circulate the party petition in California since 1948, the party omitted this language from the petition, but the Secretary of State accepted the petition anyway. Similar wording has been held unconstitutional in several other states. Petitions for parties to gain a place on the ballot can say that the signers desire the group to be put on the ballot, but they can’t say that the signers themselves represent the party.

Cheryl Jansen was the Democratic nominee for Connecticut State House district 122 in both 2008 and 2010. This year, she is running for the same seat, but as an independent candidate. See this story.

The United Kingdom Independence Party has gained its first member of the House of Commons. See this story, which says that member Douglas Carswell, elected as a Conservative, has left the Conservative Party and become a member of UKIP. The UKIP is opposed to British participation in the European Union. Carswell has resigned, and there will be a special election soon. He represents Clacton, on the east coast of England. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.