Several recent New Mexico polls for the U.S. Senate race have shown Independent American Party nominee Jon Barrie at 9%. These polls also generally show the Democratic nominee, Martin Heinrich, hovering near 50%, and Republican nominee Heather Wilson, the Republican nominee, at or near 40%.

Barrie is the first minor party or independent candidate for U.S. Senate to appear on the New Mexico ballot since 1996. The Independent American Party of New Mexico is not affiliated with any party outside New Mexico, and has no presidential nominee.

A Superior Court in Alameda County, California, will hear arguments in Rubin v Bowen, RG 11-605-301, on October 9, 2012, in Oakland, California. This is the lawsuit filed last year by the Peace & Freedom, Libertarian, and Alameda County Green Parties against Proposition 14, the top-two open primary law passed in June 2010.

According to the Americans Elect Mission Report, published this year, the organization spent $1,157,723 for ballot access in 2010, and $10,158,324 in 2011. Those total $11,316,047. The report does not have the 2012 figure.

Americans Elect eventually qualified itself in 29 states. The last state in which it qualified was Oregon. It had collected signatures in some states that it never submitted.

The report also says that on June 26, 2012, Americans Elect’s Board of Directors approved a plan of dissolution. The report says the dissolution will be completed by the end of 2012. However, the organization’s ballot status will survive in 2014 in twelve states.