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Libertarian U.S. House Candidate in Virginia Attempts to Collect 1,000 Valid Signatures in 10-Day Period

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Richard WingerAugust 12, 2014

James Carr, a Libertarian running for U.S. House in Virginia’s 7th district, is attempting to comply with the Virginia State Board of Elections decision that if he wants to be on the ballot in the special election, he must collect 1,000 valid signatures in just ten days. See this story. Ironically, the Board requires the signatures by the end of this week, even though the Republican Party (which need not submit any petition) hasn’t even chosen its nominee yet in the special election.

In case Carr fails to get the needed signatures, he is free to sue for either more time or fewer signatures, under a Fourth Circuit precedent, Mathers v Morris, which says that in special congressional elections with limited petitioning periods, the requirement must be eased. Virginia is in the Fourth Circuit. Mathers v Morris was a Maryland case won by the Libertarian Party in 1981.

Another New Jersey Newspaper Covers Ballot Column Issue

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Richard WingerAugust 12, 2014

The South Jersey Times has this story about the drawing for ballot placement in Gloucester County, drawing attention to the fact that Democratic and Republican Party nominees always get the top spots on the ballot and their own party column, whereas all other candidates are put helter-skelter into a “Nomination by Petition” column (although a handful of counties don’t use party columns).

New Jersey has the most discriminatory ballots in the nation, but there has never before been so much New Jersey press attention to the problem.

Albuquerque Journal Endorses Semi-Closed Primaries; Says They are Superior to Top-Two Primaries

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Richard WingerAugust 12, 2014

The Albuquerque Journal has this editorial in support of semi-closed primaries. Near the end, the editorial mentions top-two primaries (although it doesn’t use that term) but says open primaries are superior to top-two primaries.

Democratic Nominee for New Mexico Secretary of State Wants to Restore Straight-Ticket Device

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Richard WingerAugust 12, 2014

Maggie Toulouse Oliver, the Democratic nominee for New Mexico Secretary of State this year, wants to restore the straight-ticket device. Presumably if she wins the election, she will restore it by regulation. The New Mexico election code has never authorized the straight-ticket device, but before the current Secretary of State, Dianna Duran, was elected in 2010, past Secretaries of State (all Democrats) put io tn the ballot anyway. Duran removed it prior to the 2012 election. Democrats sued her over that, but did not prevail.

Kentucky U.S. Senate Poll

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Richard WingerAugust 12, 2014

On August 12, Public Policy Polling released a poll for the U.S. Senate race in Kentucky. The results: Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell 44%; Democrat Alison Grimes 40%; Libertarian David Patterson 7%; undecided 9%. See the poll here; question four has the Senate race.

Question five asks Patterson voters whom they would vote for if they weren’t voting for Patterson. The results show that voters who wish to vote Libertarian are almost evenly divided between McConnell and Grimes.

No minor party or independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Kentucky has ever received as much as 5%. The best showing for U.S. Senate candidates in Kentucky who weren’t major party nominees came in 1914, a year when Kentucky was having elections for both its Senate seats. Progressive Party nominee Burton Vance in the regular election received 4.15; Progressive Party nominee George Nicholas in the special election received 4.14%. Thanks to PoliticalWire for the link.