Nick Troiano, 24, has set up an exploratory committee for a possible independent race for U.S. House in Pennsylvania’s 10th district. He had been Unity ’08’s College Coordinator, and had been the Communications Manager for Americans Elect. His advisory committee for the congressional race includes Professor Charles Wheelan, a Dartmouth Professor who had advocated in favor of a new party called the Moderate Party. It also includes Russ Verney, Ross Perot’s campaign chairman in both 1992 nd 1996. And it includes Larry Norton, a former general counsel to the FEC.

Troiano’s early political activism included local activity in favor of freedom of information; see this story about that from 2009.

The Tenth District is strongly Republican. In 2012 its vote for U.S. House was: Tom Marino, Republican, 179,563; Philip Scollo, Democrat, 94,227. The district is physically large and includes the small-population counties of the center of Pennsylvania, as well as the counties in the northeast corner. Troiano will need 3,592 signatures by August 1.

South Dakota has released a new voter registration tally. The percentages, as of February 7, are: Republican 46.24%, Democratic 34.72%, Libertarian .25%, Constitution .08%, independents 18.71%. Americans Elect has 7 registrants.

In November 2012, the percentages were: Republican 45.99%, Democratic 35.85%, Libertarian .21%, Constitution .07%, independents 17.88%. Americans Elect had 4 registrants. Thanks to Andrew for this news.

The Independent Party has submitted a petition to be a ballot-qualified party in Hawaii. See this story. Although the story focuses on whether former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hanneman will seek this party’s gubernatorial nomination, the Independent Party may also serve as a vehicle for various independent candidates for the legislature and even perhaps for U.S. House.

Independent candidates in Hawaii face an unpredictable process for qualifying for the November ballot. Except for president, independent candidates must run in the August primary. They must poll the lesser of 10% of the vote cast for that office in all party primaries, or the number of votes received by the lowest vote-getting party nominee.

When a minor party runs candidates in its own primary, it is easy for independents to meet this primary vote test. Traditionally, very few Hawaii voters vote in a minor party primary, so if there is a minor party candidate for a particular office, that almost guarantees that the independent candidate for that same office will outpoll the minor party nominee, and then the independent can be on the November ballot.

But when there is no minor party nominee for a particular office, the typical independent almost never polls enough primary votes to qualify for the November ballot. Therefore, many would-be independent candidates in 2014 will probably not file as independent candidates, but will instead file to run in the Independent Party primary, because then they are guaranteed to be on the November ballot (unless, of course, some one else files for the same office in the Independent Party primary). Thanks to Independent Political Report for the link.