Vermont Progressive Party Chair Files in Progressive Primary to Run for Governor

Posted on by May 27, 2012
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Martha Abbott, chair of the Vermont Progressive Party, will appear on the Progressive Party primary ballot in August as a candidate for Governor. The Vermont Progressive Party hasn’t had a candidate on the November ballot for Governor since 2002. Generally, the Progressive Party tends to avoid running in that race.

There is no certainty that the Progressive Party will actually have Abbott on the November ballot this year either. After she wins the primary in August, she will be free to either continue running, or withdraw. For more about Abbott, see this story from 2010.

The Progressive Party’s best showing for Governor was in 2000, when Anthony Pollina polled 9.59% of the vote in November.

Arizona League of Women Voters Studies “Top-Two”, Concludes that it Ought to be Opposed

Posted on by May 27, 2012
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An initiative to place a top-two open primary proposal will probably succeed in getting on the November 2012 Arizona ballot. The Arizona League of Women Voters has been studying the proposal for the past several months, and has concluded that the measure is not good policy and should be defeated.

The Arizona League is only the second state League of Women Voters that has studied top-two systems. The Washington state League also studied it and also determined that it should be defeated. The California League has never studied top-two systems.

Alabama Ballot Access Lawsuit Update

Posted on by May 26, 2012
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On May 22, U.S. District Court Judge William K. Watkins, Jr., whose court is in Montgomery, Alabama, cancelled the May 24 hearing in Stein v Chapman, the ballot access lawsuit filed by the Constitution, Green and Libertarian Parties. In its place, he has set a new briefing schedule, and opened the door for new evidence, due June 15. The judge indicated he wants to learn on June 15 whether the three parties are actually working on their Alabama party petition. The presumption is that if they are actively working, he is somewhat inclined to grant injunctive relief against the March petition deadline.

This is not as helpful an approach as the action taken in the California ballot access case, which, like the Alabama case, challenges the early petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties. In the California case, the judge issued an injunction against the early deadline, even though no one knows if the plaintiff political parties (the Justice Party and the Constitution Party) will be able to take advantage of the extra time. In the Alabama case, it is difficult for the political parties to muster the energy to circulate the party petition, when they can’t know for sure that their efforts will be rewarded.

Rasmussen Reports Uses Poor Methodology for U.S. Senate Race in Indiana

Posted on by May 26, 2012
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This year, three candidates will be on the ballot for U.S. Senate in Indiana: Democrat Joe Donnelly, Libertarian Andrew Horning, and Republican Richard Mourdock. Rasmussen Reports recently did a poll for this race, but the question it asked is, “If the 2012 election for U.S. Senate were held today, would you vote for Republican Richard Mourdock or Democrat Joe Donnelly?”

Rasmussen then reported the results: 42% for each of the two major party nominees, 2% for “some other candidate” and 14% undecided. It seems self-evident that if a polling company wants accurate results, it should display the same choices to respondents that actually appear on the ballot. In 2010, when Indiana held a three-candidate race for the state’s other U.S. Senate seat, the Libertarian nominee, Rebecca Sink-Burris, polled 5.41%. Thanks to PoliticalWire for news of the poll.