On November 28, the Illinois House unanimously passed a bill to allow the vacancy in the U.S. House, 2nd district, to be filled in April instead of March. See this story.
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Oklahoma requires a petition signed by 5% of the last vote cast (for the office at the top of the ballot) to get a newly-qualifying party on the ballot. The number of voters voting for President in Oklahoma declined in 2012, compared to 2008. Also, the presidential vote in 2008 was lower in Oklahoma than it had been in 2004. This is somewhat surprising, because Oklahoma is not losing population.
For 2014, the state requires 66,744 signatures. While this is overwhelmingly burdensome, it is easier than the 2010 requirement, which was 73,134.
Perhaps one reason Oklahoma voters have a low turnout in presidential elections is that they aren’t permitted to vote for anyone other than the Democratic and Republican nominees. For the last three elections in a row, no one can vote for President in Oklahoma without voting Democratic or Republican. No other state has a ballot access record in presidential years this bad, since the period 1956-1964.
A Constitution Party activist in Indiana has located a Republican State Senator who may be willing to introduce a bill to ease ballot access. If you wish to work with this activist, his e-mail is ConstitutionalCraig@yahoo.com.
Indiana is one of only two states in which no statewide minor party or independent candidate petition has succeeded, since 2000. It is one of only four states in which Ralph Nader never got on the ballot, even though Nader is the person who placed third in three elections in a row (2000, 2004, and 2008). Indiana has never had an independent candidate on the ballot for Governor or U.S. Senator. It is one of five states in which the Constitution Party has never placed its presidential nominee on the ballot (the others are Arizona, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Georgia). And yet, Indiana is the only state with bad ballot access that has not even had any bills to improve ballot access introduced during the last decade.
The Casper, Wyoming Star-Tribune has this article about Wyoming’s restrictive ballot access laws. The article focuses on the plight of the Country Party, which went off the ballot even though it polled 2.5% for U.S. Senate. The vote test for a party to remain ballot-qualified is 2%, but in presidential years, the only office that counts is the U.S. House race, and the Country Party did not poll as much as 2% for that office.
The article is generally accurate and sympathetic. However, it is in error when it says Montana requires a petition of 5% of the last vote cast. Instead, Montana requires 5,000 signatures for a newly-qualifying party, which is fewer signatures that Wyoming requires for 2014; furthermore Montana has almost twice Wyoming’s population. Also the article’s mention of Louisiana is misleading. Louisiana does not keep congressional or presidential candidates off the November ballot. Louisiana has no primaries and holds its general elections in November (for federal office).
Virgil Goode polled more votes in seven states than any previous Constitution Party presidential nominee. Those states are Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wyoming.
The Constitution Party has never placed its presidential nominee on the ballot in North Carolina, but Goode’s write-in total of 619 is higher than any previous write-in total for the party’s presidential nominee in that state. Thanks to Kevin Hayes for the North Carolina figure.