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June 2011 Ballot Access News Print Edition

Posted on July 2, 2011 by adminJuly 2, 2011

Ballot Access News
June 1, 2011 – Volume 27, Number 1

This issue was originally printed on white paper.

Table of Contents

Former Newspaper of the Populist Party Becomes the Official Organ of American Third Position

Posted on July 2, 2011 by adminJuly 2, 2011

The Populist Party ran candidates in the United States from 1984 through 1994, on a platform that suggested that whites are discriminated against by many government policies. The presidential nominees of the Populist Party were Bob Richards in 1984, David Duke in 1988, and Bo Gritz in 1992. The party’s newspaper was The Nationalist Times, published originally in Pennsylvania. The party ceased to exist but the newspaper continued, as a monthly. It is now published in Nevada.

On July 1, American Third Position, a new party with somewhat similar views to the Populist Party, announced that The Nationalist Times is the party’s official organ. Don Wassall has been the editor ever since the paper was established.

Ohio Independent Candidate Asks State Supreme Court to Overrule Secretary of State Directive that Bars Independent Candidates from Ballot if they Voted in Primary

Posted on July 2, 2011 by adminJuly 2, 2011

On July 1, Timothy Quinn, an independent candidate for Mayor of Elyria, Ohio, this year, asked the Ohio Supreme Court to put him on the ballot. The county Board of Elections kept him off because he voted in this year’s Democratic primary. Elyria has partisan city elections. See this story.

Ohio has no law saying that independent candidates must not have voted in a major party primary. The only restriction is contained in 3513.04, and it bars independent candidates if that candidate had run for office in a partisan primary that year. But in 2007, the Ohio Secretary of State issued a directive that also bars independent candidates if they voted in a major party primary. Ohio registration forms do not ask voters to choose a party.

Wisconsin Legislator Loses Ballot Access Lawsuit

Posted on July 1, 2011 by adminJuly 1, 2011

On July 1, a lower state court in Wisconsin ruled against Assemblymember John Nygren, in his lawsuit to get on the primary ballot in an upcoming special State Senate election. He needed 400 valid signatures but the judge agreed with elections officials that he only has 398 valid. See this story.

California State Court of Appeals Construes Election Code to Bar Electronic Signatures on Petitions

Posted on July 1, 2011 by adminJuly 1, 2011

On June 30, a California State Court of Appeals construed California’s election code to bar electronic signatures on initiative petitions. Here is the 24-page decision. The case, Ni v Slocum, had been argued on May 10, 2011. The decision depends on the court’s belief that the verb “affix” can’t mean anything but a pen-on-paper signature. Thanks to Mark Scarberry for the link.