The Texas ballot-qualified minor parties held their nominating conventions on the weekend of June 9-10. Here is a story about the Libertarian Party convention and the Green Party convention. Both parties are ballot-qualified, based on their votes in 2010.

Americans Elect has suspended its petition in Texas, and the Constitution Party and other unqualified parties don’t seem to be trying to get on in Texas this year, so the November Texas ballot is expected to have only four presidential candidates on the ballot. The petition deadline for all unqualified parties and independent candidates is June 29.

On Tuesday, June 19, at 1:30 p.m., the California Senate Elections Committee will hear AB 2058, which makes it illegal to pay registration drive workers on a per-registration card basis. The author is Assemblyman Richard Pan (D-Sacramento). The hearing is in Room 3191.

Under current law, the only method for a party to remain ballot-qualified is for it to increase its registration to over 100,000 members. AB 2058 would make it significantly more difficult for parties to increase their registration. In 2011, an identical bill, SB 205, passed the legislature but was vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown.

The same Committee will hear AB 2410, which would bar anyone from running for any elective office if that person, during the past twenty years, has been convicted of a felony involving bribery, embezzlement, or theft of public money. The bill makes no exception for federal office, and therefore violates the U.S. Constitution. States are not permitted to add to the qualifications for federal office.

KPBS, the Public Television station in San Diego, has this 5-minute interview with Gary Kreep. The election between Kreep and his only opponent for Superior Court Judge in San Diego County is still too close to call. KPBS invited both candidates to appear on the show, but only Kreep accepted. He has been an attorney for the American Independent Party, for Alan Keyes, and others, over whether the California Secretary of State has a duty to investigate the qualifications of presidential candidates who appear on the California ballot.

The election returns, as of 5 p.m. June 11, are: Garland Peed 193,486; Gary Kreep 192,885. There are still over 50,000 votes not counted yet.