In February 2012, the Socialist Equality Party had announced its presidential and vice-presidential nominees, but had not said the ticket expected to qualify for the ballot in any state. In 2008 the Socialist Equality Party has also announced a ticket, but that ticket did not qualify for the ballot in any state.

However, this year, the party is petitioning to place its national ticket on the Wisconsin ballot. The nominees are Jerry White, 52, for President; and Phyllis Scherrer, 48, for Vice-President.

Assuming the White-Scherrer gets on the ballot in Wisconsin, and possibly other states, that will make at least four parties in 2012 with “Socialist” or “Socialism” in their name, which will have a presidential nominee on a ballot. The other such tickets in 2012 are those of the Socialist Party, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the Socialist Workers Party. There is also a 2012 ticket for the Freedom Socialist Party, but that ticket is not expected to be on the ballot anywhere, unless possibly the Peace & Freedom Party nominates that ticket.

Eight Democratic nominees for Will County Board (Illinois) have been removed from the November ballot, because of technical flaws in the way the party nominated the candidates. See this story. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for the link. The candidates expect to sue to overturn the decision of the election board.

The Pharos-Tribune, a daily newspaper in Logansport, Indiana, has this article talking about ballot access in Indiana. The story does not mention, although it could have, that Indiana is one of only four states in which Ralph Nader never managed to qualify for the ballot, in any of his runs for the presidency. Nader is the person who came in third in the last three presidential elections.