This is a fascinating and very detailed article on significant voting irregularities in the Mississippi GOP runoff. Included are statements by Democratic Party officials confirming a number of illegal actions by election officers and GOP officials.
UPDATE: see this story.
According to this article, leaders of the Montana Republican Party disagree with each other over whether the party should soon file a lawsuit to close the party’s primary. The state convention resolved in favor of a closed Republican primary but most party leaders seem unwilling to follow through with a lawsuit, at least this year.
On June 26, the deadline, the New Mexico Green Party submitted a petition to restore its party status. New Mexico now has six ballot-qualified parties: Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Constitution, Green, and Independent American.
However, there are only a handful of minor party nominees for any office in New Mexico this year, because of the law that says even a qualified party must submit a petition signed by 1% of the last gubernatorial vote for each of its nominees, unless it is entitled to nominate by primary.
New Mexico is one of only three states that will definitely have no statewide minor party or independent candidates on the November 2014 ballot. The others are California and Alabama, and possibly Kentucky and New Hampshire (depending on whether Libertarian petitions for U.S. Senate in those two states succeed). The only state that has no statewide office elections this year is Washington. Thanks to Rick Lass for the information about the Green Party petition.
Ernie Almonte, who was Rhode Island’s Auditor 1994-2010, will run for State Treasurer this year as an independent candidate. He and the Democratic nominee will be the only names on the November ballot. See this story. Almonte is considered to have a chance of winning, although his chances would be better if the new law, eliminating the straight-ticket device, had gone into effect this year instead of 2015. Thanks to Michael for the news.
On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously struck down a Massachusetts law that restricts First Amendment activity on public sidewalks. Here is the decision in McCullen v Coakley, 12-1168. The First Circuit had upheld the law.
The decision says, “Public sidewalks occupy a special position in terms of First Amendment protection. It is no accident that public streets and sidewalks have developed as venues for the exchange of ideas.”
