Minnesota Independence Party Seems Likely to Lose Qualified Status by an Eyelash

Posted on by November 5, 2014
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The Minnesota Independence Party, which has been ballot-qualified starting in 1994, appears likely to lose its qualified status. Here is a link to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s web page, showing election returns. The party needed to poll 5% for one of the statewide races this year, because it did not poll as much as 5% for any statewide race in 2012. Its strongest statewide nominee, Bob Helland for Secretary of State, is at 4.91%.

No other minor party polled 5% for any statewide race either. Assuming the Independence Party goes off the ballot, it may be possible to persuade the Minnesota legislature to lower the vote test. The median vote test for the 50 states is 2%, and Minnesota has a long tradition of tolerance toward minor parties. Even though Minnesota requires 5% for qualified party status for ballot access purposes, for purposes of obtaining public funding, the vote test is 1%.

Libertarians Meet Vote Test in North Dakota and Maryland for First Time

Posted on by November 5, 2014
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Here is a link to the North Dakota Secretary of State’s page. All three Libertarian Party nominees have over 5% of the vote, and all precincts are counted. The party needed 5% for Secretary of State to retain its qualified status for 2016. This is the first time a minor party has met the North Dakota vote test since 1996, when the Reform Party polled 12.20% for President.

In Maryland, the Libertarian nominee received 1.45% of the vote, enough for the party to keep its qualified status in 2016. This is the first time any minor party has met the Maryland vote test since the current law was passed in 1998. The vote test only applies to President and Governor. Although the Reform Party got 6.5% for President in 1996, at that time the vote test was 10%. In 1998 it was lowered to 1%. Here is a link to the Maryland State Board of Elections web page for election returns. Here is a link to the Libertarian Party’s election night election returns news.

Green Party Polls Enough Votes to Retain or Regain Party Status in Massachusetts and Ohio

Posted on by November 5, 2014
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The Green Party nominee for Ohio governor, Anita Rios, polled 3.3%. This is enough to give the Green Party qualified status for 2016 and 2018. This is the first time any minor party has polled enough votes to meet the Ohio statutory deadline for ongoing status since 1996, when the Reform Party polled over 5% for President and was thus on the 1998 ballot automatically.

The current Ohio retention law requires 2% for 2014 only, and meeting the requirement is good for four years. However, starting in 2018, the vote test is 3%, not 2%, owing to the strange wording of SB 193 passed in late 2013.

In Massachusetts, several statewide nominees polled 4%, in excess of the 3% required for party status. See GreenPartyWatch for many election returns for all parties at this link.

Independent Candidate Leading in Alaska Gubernatorial Race, with 45% of Ballots Counted

Posted on by November 5, 2014
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Bill Walker, independent candidate for Governor of Alaska, has 47.83% of the vote, whereas the Republican nominee, incumbent Sean Parnell, has 46.42% of the vote. The Libertarian nominee, Carolyn Clift, has 3.00%; the Constitution Party nominee, J. R. Myers, has 2.47%. However, only 45% of the ballots have been counted. The Democrats have no gubernatorial nominee.

If Walker wins, he will be the only independent or minor party candidate for statewide office to have been elected in the November 4, 2014 election. Here is a link to the Alaska Division of Elections web page.

If the final tally shows the Libertarian gubernatorial nominee below 3%, the party will need to increase its registration to 3% of the number of votes cast in the election, in order to remain ballot-qualified. It appears the Constitution Party failed in its attempt to poll 3% for Governor and to thereby become a ballot-qualified party. The Constitution Party is also doing a voter registration drive, but has much further to go than the Libertarians do. The November 2014 registration tally shows 7,182 Libertarian registrants, but 212 Constitution Party registrants.

Tennessee Measure, Eliminating Direct Election of State Judges, Passes

Posted on by November 5, 2014
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On November 4, Tennessee voters passed Measure 2, which deletes language from the state Constitution providing that the voters elect state court judges.

Tennessee officials have not been holding such candidate-versus-candidate elections anyway, for some time. Instead, they have only been holding retention elections for sitting judges, asking the voters if they wish to retain a particular judge. That situation has caused many lawsuits to be filed against the state, in both state and federal court. Passage of Measure 2 puts an end to these lawsuits.