On July 21, independent gubernatorial candidate Gatewood Galbraith submitted his ballot access petition in Kentucky. See this story. The only other minor party or independent candidate petition circulating in this year’s Kentucky state elections is the Libertarian Party petition for Ken Moellman for State Treasurer, which is still being worked on. Kentucky petitions are due in early August 2011.

All four states that have gubernatorial elections this year will have independent or minor party candidates in those elections. The states are Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia.

According to this story in the Providence Journal, the Rhode Island State Board of Elections has redesigned the voter registration form, so that the form no longer lists the qualified parties. Instead the voter will be asked to write-in his or her party on a blank line on the petition form.

Rhode Island has three qualified parties, Democratic, Republican, and Moderate. The Moderate Party has criticized the new forms, because not listing the qualified parties has a disproportionate effect on the Moderate Party. Many, if not most, voters don’t know that the Moderate Party is a ballot-qualified party. The Board says the new forms will save money, because under the old policy, every time a new party qualified, the forms had to be reprinted. Thanks to Ken Block for the link.

On July 19, Lowell Nelson, vice-chair of the Utah Republican Party, testified in favor of Instant Runoff Voting. He was testifying to a legislative committee which is meeting, even though the legislature is not in session. See this story. Nelson suggested the system would be useful in both partisan primaries, and general elections, for state and federal office.