The Arkansas Secretary of State’s web page has election returns for the May 22 primary here. In the Republican presidential primary, Mitt Romney has 71.0% of the vote against several opponents. In the Democratic primary, the results as of 9:10 p.m. central time are: President Obama 58.7%, John Wolfe 41.3%.
Arkansas has an open primary.
The web page of the Kentucky State Board of Elections has primary election returns. As of 9 p.m. eastern, Mitt Romney is winning 66.8% of the vote in the Republican primary against several opponents. In the Democratic primary, President Obama is winning 59.0% against the only other choice on the ballot, which is “uncommitted.” See this link.
Kentucky has a closed primary.
On May 22, U.S. District Court Judge Percy Anderson granted injunctive relief to the Constitution Party and the Justice Party, against California’s January deadline for newly-qualifying parties to get on the ballot. The case is California Justice Committee, et al v Bowen, 2:12cv03956. Here is the order.
Injunctive relief can only be granted when there is a substantial likelihood that the challenged law is unconstitutional. It is likely that in the near future, the California deadline will be held unconstitutional and the legislature will need to write a better law. This is the first ballot access law affecting minor parties and independent candidates in California that has been either enjoined or declared unconstitutional since 1988. In 1988, a U.S. District Court struck down California’s old 60-day period for independent presidential candidates. The legislature then expanded it to 105 days.
This new California development will assist similar deadline lawsuits now pending in Oklahoma, Alabama, North Carolina, Montana, and New Mexico. It will also help to retain the victory already won against Ohio, where the state legislature is still appealing. UPDATE: here is a press release about the decision.
On May 22, the European Court of Human Rights issued a new opinion on whether Great Britain is in violation of that Court’s 2005 ruling which said adult citizens who are in prison must be allowed to vote. See this story. The new ruling acknowledges that European nations who have agreed to obey the court’s rulings do have wide discretion on how to implement that court’s rulings. Nevertheless, it appears the Court will not back down on its earlier basic ruling. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.
This Baltimore Sun story interviews Maryland Green Party and Libertarian Party leaders about yesterday’s State Court of Appeals ruling that invalidated their petitions.
