January 2014 Ballot Access News Print Edition

Posted on by January 27, 2014
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Ballot Access News
January 1, 2014 – Volume 29, Number 8

This issue was printed on yellow paper.

Table of Contents

  1. DEADLINE VICTORIES IN HAWAII AND NEW MEXICO
  2. NEW PARTY DEADLINES FOR 2016
  3. LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST MONTANA TOP-TWO
  4. HIGH COURT REFUSES ELECTION LAW CASES
  5. MORE ELECTION LAW CASES REACH SUPREME COURT
  6. STUDY LINKS SORE LOSER LAWS TO POLARIZATION
  7. KENTUCKY EASES CAMPAIGN FINANCE RESTRICTIONS ON MINOR PARTIES
  8. NEW MEXICO HIGH COURT DENIES BALLOT ACCESS CASE; REHEARING REQUESTED
  9. BOOK SAYS AMERICANS ELECT ALMOST RAN JON HUNTSMAN
  10. CALIFORNIA EXPERIENCE WITH TOP-TWO DURING 2013
  11. LAWSUIT NEWS
  12. ELITE BODY WANTS DEBATE REFORM
  13. 2014 PETITIONING FOR STATEWIDE OFFICE
  14. FORMER SENATOR LARRY PRESSLER TO RUN AS AN INDEPENDENT IN 2014
  15. BILL BOZARTH TO RUN AS AN INDEPENDENT FOR GEORGIA HOUSE
  16. DAN SCHNUR TO RUN FOR CALIFORNIA SEC. OF STATE AS AN INDEPENDENT
  17. 2013 STATE HOUSE ELECTIONS
  18. CONSTITUTION PARTY MEMBER WON AN ELECTION ON NOVEMBER 5, 2013
  19. SUBSCRIBING TO BAN WITH PAYPAL

European Greens Holding Europe’s First “Presidential Primary”

Posted on by January 27, 2014
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On May 22-25, 2014, voters in the countries that are part of the European Commission elect a new European Commission Parliament. Afterwards, the European Parliament will elect a President of the European Commission. Ordinary voters in Europe do not vote directly for president of the European Commission.

Nevertheless, five European parties are choosing a proposed president, in advance of the voting for Parliament, so that voters will have a sense of which presidential candidate these particular parties prefer. The five parties that are doing this are: European People’s Convention (which is a coalition of Europe’s center-right parties), the Party of European Socialists, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, the Party of the European Left, and the Green Party. Here is a wikipedia article about the 2014 European election.

Among these five parties, only the Green Party is holding a European-wide “presidential primary.” The vote is being conducted on the internet and any citizen of a nation within the European Union who is at least age 16 may participate. There are four Greens running, and the primary will choose two of them, to guarantee that at least one woman is in the running. They four Greens running are Jose Bove of France, Monica Frassoni of Italy, Rebecca Harms of Germany, and Ska Keller of Germany. For more about the Green presidential primary, see greenprimary.europeangreens.eu.

New York Will Have Different 2014 Petition Deadlines for Independent Candidates for U.S. House Than for Other Office

Posted on by January 27, 2014
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New York state election law says independent candidate petitions are due 77 days before the general election. See section 6-158.9 of the Election Law. Nevertheless, for 2014, the State Board of Elections has set a petition deadline for U.S. House petitions that is two weeks earlier than the statutory deadline. See the Board’s calendar here.

Therefore, the U.S. House petitions will be due August 5. Other independent petitions are due August 19. New York has no U.S. Senate election in 2014.

All of this may change, if the legislature passes any bill to move primary dates. Currently, congressional primaries in 2014 will be on June 24 but primaries for other office are in September. This is confusing and wasteful. But it is difficult for any bill to get through the legislature changing these dates, because the Assembly prefers a June primary for everything, and the Senate prefers an August primary for everything. The reason there are different primary dates now for Congress versus other office is that the federal government sued New York to force it to hold a congressional primary earlier than the statutory September date. But the federal government has no authority to tell the state when to hold its primary for non-congressional office.

Oral Arguments Held in Arizona Lawsuit Over Whether U.S. Constitution Bars Independent Redistricting Commissions for Congress

Posted on by January 26, 2014
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On January 24, a 3-judge U.S. District Court heard arguments in Arizona State Legislature v Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, 2:12cv-1211. Arizona U.S. House district boundaries are drawn by an independent commission. The legislature filed the lawsuit to regain its old ability to draw the district lines. The legislature argues that Article One, section 4 of the U.S. Constitution says that only state legislature can write election laws concerning congressional elections. See this article about the hearing.