Trial Starts in Ohio Lawsuit on Provisional Voting Rules

On July 30, the trial opened in Service Employees International Union v Husted, s.d., 2:12-cv-562. This is a case challenging Ohio election laws that say provisional ballots are void if they aren’t cast in the right precinct. See this story.

There has already been a great deal of litigation around that Ohio restriction, but this case differs from several others, because in this case the law itself is being challenged on constitutional grounds.

Libertarian Party Sues District of Columbia Over Ban on Out-of-District Circulators

On July 30, the Libertarian Party filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the District of Columbia ban on letting out-of-district circulators work in Washington, D.C. The case is Libertarian Party v Nichols, 12-1248. Here is the complaint.

Only six states still ban out-of-state circulators for all minor party and independent candidate petitions: California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. South Dakota bans out-of-state circulators for independent candidate petitions but not petitions to qualify a new party. Lawsuits against residency requirements for circulators are pending in California and Virginia.

July 2012 Ballot Access News Print Edition

Ballot Access News
July 1, 2012 – Volume 28, Number 2

This issue was printed on cream paper.


Table of Contents

  1. MONTANA PETITION DEADLINE STRUCK DOWN
  2. COLORADO IMPROVES DEADLINE
  3. LIBERTARIANS SUE MICHIGAN
  4. MASSACHUSETTS COURT NIXES STAND-INS ON PETITIONS
  5. D.C. CIRCUIT RULES THAT WRITE-IN VOTES NEED NOT BE COUNTED
  6. RALPH NADER LOSES BANK ACCOUNT CASE
  7. CALIFORNIA BILL TO MAKE BALLOT ACCESS MORE DIFFICULT
  8. NEW HAMPSHIRE CHANGES DEADLINE FOR NEW PARTIES TO NOMINATE CANDIDATES
  9. OHIO CREATES LATER FILING DEADLINE FOR DEMS, REPS
  10. NEW YORK BILL FOR CLEARER BALLOTS FAILS TO PASS
  11. CALIFORNIA ELECTION-DAY REGISTRATION
  12. CALIFORNIA PRIMARY
  13. 2012 PETITIONING FOR PRESIDENT
  14. PARTIES NOT ON PETITIONING CHART
  15. PEACE & FREEDOM CONVENTION
  16. GARY JOHNSON QUALFIES FOR MATCHING FUNDS
  17. SWP NOMINATES
  18. CALIFORNIA PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES
  19. BUDDY ROEMER DROPS OUT
  20. AMERICANS ELECT WILL HAVE TWO CANDIDATES FOR CONGRESS
  21. SUBSCRIBING TO BAN WITH PAYPAL

Several Cochise County, Arizona, Candidates Seek Americans Elect Nomination by Write-in at Primary

Americans Elect is a ballot-qualified party in Arizona, with its own primary. The primary will be held on August 28. Already it had been known that two candidates had filed for U.S. House in the Americans Elect primary. Now it appears some candidates are also seeking the party’s nomination for county office in Cochise County. They will run as write-ins in the primary. Each only needs one write-in vote to receive the nomination (as long as they defeat anyone else who wants the same nomination for the same office). The candidates have campaigned among all six of the Americans Elect registrants in Cochise County.

South Carolina Democrats Believe They Have Identified Three More Republican Nominees who Didn’t File Proper Paperwork Back in March

The South Carolina Democratic Party is suing to remove three Republican nominees for state legislature and county office from the November ballot, on the grounds that they didn’t file the correct Statement of Economic Interests back in March. Already approximately 250 candidates for state and local partisan office have been disqualified this year on these grounds. See this story.