The March 28 Birmingham News has this editorial, in support of Senator Cam Ward’s SB 15, which eases ballot access for newly-qualifying parties and independent candidates. This newspaper has been a strong supporter of easier ballot access for many years now.

The editorial mistakenly says statewide independent candidates need “almost 40,000 signatures” by June. Actually, the law is far worse. A statewide independent candidate this year needs 44,829 valid signatures, and the deadline has already passed. The constitutionality of that law is pending in U.S. District Court in a case called Stein v Chapman.

The Daily Free Press, an independent student newspaper at Boston University, has this article about Economics Professor Laurence Kotlikoff’s campaign for the Americans Elect presidential nomination. As the story says, because he has never held important elected office, he needs 50,000 clicks, not 10,000 clicks, to be nominated. “Click” means a vote in the Americans Elect on-line nomination process. The deadline for showing this support is April 30.

Professor Kotlikoff believes he is the first Economics Professor to ever run for President. He is a registered independent, although he served as an economics advisor under President Ronald Reagan.

On March 27, the Montana corporations who lost in the Montana Supreme Court on December 30, 2011, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their appeal. The issue is whether the First Amendment protects the ability of corporations to spend money speaking about candidates for state office. Here is the petition. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link.