On January 27, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that a statewide initiative legalizing medical marijuana should remain on the ballot. Here is the decision in Advisory Opinion to the Attorney General re: Use of Marijuana for Certain Medical Conditions. The vote was 4-3. Opponents argued that the initiative violates the single subject rule, and also that the title is misleading.
This Arkansas News story says that the Arkansas legislature frquently makes mistakes when it drafts election law bills. The article gives examples. The article does not mention that in 2013, the legislature moved the petition for non-presidential independent candidates from May to March, and moved the petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties from May to January. Both laws will be held unconstitutional if they are challenged.
There are already three past federal court decisions striking down Arkansas deadlines for non-presidential independent candidates that are that early, and one of them was summarily affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Ironically, the same individual, Jim Lendall, filed all three cases, which were won in 1974, 1976, and 1988.
There are also two reported federal court decisions striking down such early petition deadlines for newly-qualifying parties in Arkansas, one won by the American Party in 1977 and one won by the Reform Party in 1996.
The Libertarian Party will hold a national convention June 26-29 in Columbus, Ohio, at the Hyatt Regency. The party holds national conventions every two years.
The Green Party will hold a national convention July 24-27 in St. Paul, Minnesota, at Macalester College. That is the same venue at which the first national Green Party meeting was ever held. In 1984 the framework for the Green Party was set forth at that location.
Steven St. John, an independent candidate for U.S. House in Nevada’s Third District, says if elected, he will arrange to let registered voters in the district vote tell him how to vote, on certain important issues. See this story for more details.
This In These Times story describes the January 22 meeting of the Chicago Socialist Campaign, a new coalition with the goal of electing a socialist to the Chicago Board of Alderman in February 2015. Chicago city elections are non-partisan. Thanks to Independent Political Report for the link.
