On June 16, the Ninth Circuit invalidated California laws that require the individual proponents of an initiative to be listed on each petition sheet. Chula Vista Citizens v Norris, 12-55726. However, the decision upholds the law that says that only individuals, not groups, may sponsor initiatives. Technically the decision only relates to city initiatives, but the constitutional principles in the decision would apply to any type of initiative.

Here is the decision, which was 2-1. The purpose of the initiative was to repeal a city ordinance that limited contractors with the city to those who used only used unionized labor. The decision says that because initiative proponents must reveal their identifies when they file the notice that they are starting to circulate the initiative (to the City Clerk, and in a newspaper of general circulation), there is no government need to have the proponents also named on each petition sheet. The principles behind the decision are supportive of the Ohio Libertarian Party argument in Libertarian Party of Ohio v Husted; in that case Ohio requires the employer of the petitioners on each petition sheet. The Ohio case is still pending, even though the courts have refused injunctive relief to the Ohio Libertarian candidates.

On June 16, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Susan B. Anthony List v Driehaus, on Ohio’s law making it a crime to make a knowingly false statement about a candidate or a ballot measure. See this analysis by Election Law Professor Rick Hasen about the decision. The lower courts had refused to decide the constitutionality of the law, but the U.S. Supreme Court sent the case back to the lower courts, and said they should have adjudicated the case.

Grist is an on-line magazine that has news about environmental issues and activism. It has existed since 1999 and is centered in Seattle. Grist has this article about Jessica Spear, the only Socialist Alternative Party candidate for any federal or state office this year. Spear is running in the same legislative district which the Socialist Alternative Party contested in 2012. In the 2012 election, the Socialist Alternative Party nominee, Kshama Sawant, polled 29.37% of the vote against her only opponent, Democratic Speaker Frank Chopp.

As was the case in 2012, this year the speaker has no other opponents except the Socialist Alternative Party candidate. Washington state doesn’t permit party labels longer than 15 characters, so both Sawant and Spear are on the ballot as “Socialist Altern”.

This year, Washington state has only one minor party candidate for U.S. House, Green Party candidate Douglas Milholland. Washington state has no statewide offices up this year. There are no minor party candidates for State Senate. For State House, there are twelve Libertarians, and one Green. Seven of the Libertarians are in races in which only two candidates filed for the August 5 primary, so they will automatically be on the November ballot as well, barring an extremely unlikely write-in candidacy in the primary. Thanks to Thomas MacMillan for the link.