This poll for the Iowa U.S. House race, 3rd district, shows the two incumbents tied with each other, and one of the other candidates in the race with a large vote. There are two incumbents running against each other because Iowa lost a U.S. House seat after the 2010 census. The results: Republican incumbent Tom Latham 45%, Democratic incumbent Leonard Boswell 45%, independent Scott Batcher 7%, other or undecided 3%.

Batcher is a healthcare consultant. Here is his web page, which appears to have been created in 2010 when he ran in the Republican primary in the Third District. That 2010 Republican primary had seven candidates, and Batcher placed 7th.

The ballot lists four candidates, but the poll did not mention the fourth candidate, Socialist Workers Party nominee David Rosenfeld. The 3rd district includes Des Moines and the southwest quadrant of Iowa. In 2010, the Socialist Workers Party nominee for the 3rd district seat polled 2.60%. Thanks to Mike for the link.

Connecticut, in conformity with federal law, has already mailed its overseas absentee ballots. Because the State Supreme Court still hasn’t ruled on which party should be listed first on the ballot, the Connecticut overseas absentee ballots this year are all blank. Accompanying the ballots are lists of offices being voted for, and the list of candidates for each office. Each voter will vote by writing in his or her choices on the blank ballot.

On September 20, a Maine Superior Court ruled that Ralph Nader’s lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee and some of its allies may proceed to a jury trial. The trial is many months away, and will be proceeded by discovery. This means that Nader’s attorneys will be able to take depositions from witnesses and defendants and learn previously unknown information about “the ballot project”, the 2004 Democratic Party plan to keep Nader off the ballot in as many states as possible. The case is Nader v The Maine Democratic Party, Washington County, Maine, macsc-cv-2009-57.

This trial is only possible because Maine has a six-year statute of limitations. The 15-page order says, “This Court is satisfied…that Plaintiffs have made a prima facie showing of both a civil conspiracy, including an ulterior motive, and the improper use of discovery and subpoenas to establish an abuse of process claim.” Here is a brief newspaper story about the order. Here is a press release from Ralph Nader’s attorneys.