The District of Columbia Republican presidential primary rules gives candidates a choice of either paying a $10,000 filing fee to the party, or else getting 296 signatures of registered Republicans and paying a fee of $5,000 to the party. These rules changed recently; previously all candidates were required to collect 296 signatures, but the new law gives them a choice of either paying the higher fee and no signatures, or the lower fee plus signatures.

Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and Rick Perry all chose the $10,000 filing fee so as to avoid collecting signatures. The only Republicans who chose the $5,000 filing fee plus the signatures are Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney. Rick Santorum will not be on the ballot. However, D.C. permits write-ins in presidential primaries and does count write-ins in presidential primaries if it appears that the write-in candidate may have polled enough write-ins to get even one delegate to the national convention. UPDATE: although the Democratic and Green Party presidential primaries permit write-ins, the Republican presidential primary does not. This is a decision made by each party.

The law lets each party set its own fee. The Democratic Party let candidates either submit a petition, or pay a $2,500 fee. President Obama is the only candidate who filed, and he did it with the petition, which required 1,000 signatures from registered Democrats.

The Green Party presidential primary will carry Jill Stein, who got on the ballot by collecting 41 signatures of registered Greens.

The California Superior Court Judge who is hearing Rubin v Bowen has set a hearing date of February 7, 2012, for Rubin v Bowen, RG11-605-301, Alameda County. This is the lawsuit filed by the Peace & Freedom and Libertarian Parties of California, as well as the Alameda County Green Party, against Proposition 14, passed by the voters in June 2010 to establish the top-two system in California. The lawsuit had been filed on November 21, 2011, and originally had a hearing date on March 20, but the plaintiffs sought an earlier hearing, which has now been granted.

Anyone who is free to attend the hearing should do so. A large attendance will show the judge that the issue is important. The address for the hearing is 1221 Oak Street, Oakland, California. That is the County Office Building, next to the Courthouse. The hearing is at 9 a.m. in Department 16.