The Libertarian and Green Parties are currently suing Arizona in federal court, over the state’s new voter registration forms, which list only the Democratic and Republican Parties. Voters who wish to register into any other party, qualified or not, must write-in its name on the form in a very small space. The lawsuit is Arizona Libertarian Party v Bennett, 4:11-cv-856, and was filed last year.

The state has obtained an extension of time in which to file its brief. It had been due on June 11, but now is due June 29. The state says it needed an extension because its legal staff is busy adjudicating challenges to the petitions submitted by various candidates.

Last month, the Green Party and the Constitution Party filed a lawsuit against Georgia’s signature requirement to get on the ballot for President. The state’s answer was due on June 14, but the state has requested an extension of one week. Plaintiffs agreed not to oppose that request. The state says it will not oppose the motion of the political parties to expedite the case. The case is Green Party of Georgia v Kemp, 1:12-cv-1822.

Georgia requires slightly more than 50,000 signatures for independent or newly-qualifying ballot access for President. The signatures are due in July. No group has qualified to place a presidential candidate on the ballot by either type of petition, in over ten years. The only parties that don’t need to petition for President are the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian Parties. Although Americans Elect collected signatures in Georgia, it didn’t submit them and does not plan to submit them.

Georgia is in the 11th circuit. In 1985, the 11th circuit ruled that states must provide easier ballot access for President than for other office. That conclusion, in a case called Bergland v Harris, was based in the U.S. Supreme Court 1983 decision that also said states must be more lenient for President than for other office. The most difficult petition requirement that the U.S. Supreme Court has ever upheld concerning presidential ballot access was the Texas requirement, which was and continues to be a petition of 1% of the last gubernatorial vote. If Georgia had a petition requirement for president of 1% of the last gubernatorial vote, the state’s requirement this year would be 25,762 signatures.

On June 14, the Michigan State Court of Appeals, in effect, has put a statewide referendum back on the Michigan ballot. Earlier, the State Board of Canvassers had taken it off the ballot, on the ground that the font size on the petition was slightly different than the required font. See this story. It is still possible the Michigan Supreme Court will reverse the State Court of Appeals. The case is Stand Up for Democracy v Secretary of State, 310047.

The decision actually was released on June 8, but the 3-judge panel had stayed its own decision, while all the judges considered whether to rehear the case. But on June 14, the other judges said they didn’t wish the case reheard. The June 8 opinion says that the petition font really was too small, but that the panel is bound by a 2002 decision that says substantial compliance is good enough. The law requires 14-point font and the court concluded that the petition used 12-point font. Font sizes are sometimes ambiguous and date back to a French standard established in 1737. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.