Grassroots Party Nominates a Presidential Ticket

Posted on by July 7, 2012
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The Grassroots Party will place a presidential ticket on the ballot this year, in Minnesota and possibly other states. The presidential candidate is Jim Carlson of Duluth, Minnesota; the vice-presidential candidate is George McMahon of Iowa.

The Grassroots Party also entered the presidential elections of 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000. The party wants to legalize marijuana. Thanks to Oliver Steinberg for this news. The Grassroots Party this year also has a candidate for U.S. Senate on the Minnesota ballot. That candidate is Tim Davis.

North Carolina Tries to Get Ballot Access Case Dismissed in Advance of Trial

Posted on by July 7, 2012
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The Green and Constitution Parties have a lawsuit pending in federal court against North Carolina’s May petition deadline for new parties. The deadline is especially harmful, given that North Carolina requires more signatures to place a minor party or independent presidential candidate on the ballot than any other state except California. For 2012, 85,379 signatures are required.

On June 28, the state filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, saying the entire case should be dismissed now, even before the scheduled trial in 2013, on the grounds that the two plaintiff parties have only made feeble attempts to get on the ballot. The state ignores the precedents that say that parties have standing to challenge early petition deadlines, whether they make any effort to complete the petition or not. On July 6, the parties filed a brief, making this point.

Arizona Governor, Legislative Leaders Drop Plans to Place a Competing Primary System on the November 2012 Ballot

Posted on by July 7, 2012
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Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, and legislators, briefly considered a special session of the legislature to pass some alternate primary system and place it on the November ballot as a constitutional amendment. However, they have dropped plans to do this. See this story. The top-two initiative, assuming it qualifies, will be the only statewide ballot measure dealing with election law on the ballot.

Gallup Poll Includes Five Presidential Candidates, Finds Gary Johnson at 3%, Jill Stein at 1%, Virgil Goode Under 1%

Posted on by July 6, 2012
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On July 6, Gallup Polls released this poll, which includes five presidential candidates: President Obama, Mitt Romney, Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, and Virgil Goode. The poll shows support for the three minor party members as: Johnson 3%, Stein 1%, Goode under 1%. The poll did tell the respondents the party affiliation of these candidates. The poll shows President Obama at 47% and Mitt Romney at 40%.

If Gary Johnson were to poll 3% in November, and 3% in each jurisdiction, then the Libertarian Party would have met the vote test for a party to remain on the ballot, for the first time ever, in Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Iowa, and Kentucky.

Missouri Governor Signs Ballot Access Improvement Bill

Posted on by July 6, 2012
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On July 6, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed HB 1236. The bill deletes the requirement that a petition to place a newly-qualifying party on the ballot must list that group’s presidential nominee, and must also list the group’s candidates for presidential elector.

Missouri’s law had been quite irrational, until this bill was signed. The old law did not require the group’s nominees for office other than president and presidential elector to be listed on the petition. The old law was the product of a drafting error made back in 1993.

If this new law had been in effect earlier this year, it would have been helpful to Americans Elect. Americans Elect collected signatures on a petition in Missouri during 2011, but that petition didn’t list any presidential candidate, nor did it list any presidential elector candidates. Americans Elect never submitted that petition. The new law has no effect on Americans Elect in any event, since back on May 17, Americans Elect said it wouldn’t run a presidential candidate this year. Thanks to Ken Bush for the news about the Governor’s action.