Oregon has released a registration tally as of March 1, 2014. Two particular parties are poised to move into elevated legal status if trends continue. The Independent Party will qualify for its own government-provided primary in 2016 if its registration hits 5%. The new tally shows that it has over 100,000 registrants for the first time. It has 100,036. Five percent of the total state registration at this time would be 107,272. It is too late for the party to qualify for a 2014 primary, but if its growth continues at the rate it has this year, it will attain 5% in time for a 2016 primary.

The Independent Party has been paying for its own primary, but that is very expensive. In November 2012, the Independent Party had 94,750 registrants.

The Working Families Party will be able to retain its status as a ballot-qualified party, regardless of whether it meets the vote test, if it can get its registration up to one-half of 1%. Currently it has 10,583 registrants, only 145 shy of the .5% mark. The party has been doing a voter registration drive.

Here is a link to the March 2014 figures. The parties that gained registrants since the February tally, besides the two mentioned above, are Libertarian, Progressive, and Americans Elect. Thanks to Michael for the link.

Leamington, Ontario, will hold its election for city officers in October 2014, and all votes will be cast on the internet. See this story. Individuals who do not have access to a computer can vote on the computer at city hall or at the city recreation center. All elections for city offices in Canada are non-partisan.

Leamington is on the north shore of Lake Erie, and is the most southerly city in Canada. Its population is 28,403. Thanks to Michael Drucker for this news.

April 4, a U.S. District Court in Corpus Christi, Texas, ordered Texas to produce internal legislative e-mails concerning the 2011 bill to require voters at the polls to show government photo-ID. The Judge said this evidence is needed to determine if one motivation for the bill was to make it more difficult for Hispanics to vote. The case is Veasey v Perry, southern district, 2:13cv-193. See this Brad Blog article about the court order.