On April 16, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to get involved in any of the lawsuits challenging Wisconsin’s new law that requires voters at the polls to show government photo-ID. See the top portion of this story. Several lower state courts enjoined the law and one is holding a trial on whether the new law violates the Wisconsin Constitution.
North Carolina holds its primary on May 8. Three parties will nominate by primary: Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian. Newly-qualifying parties nominate by convention.
According to this story, North Carolina election officials must print up seven types of primary ballot. There is the standard partisan primary ballot for each of the three parties that is nominating by primary. There is a non-partisan primary ballot for voters who are not registered members of any of the three primary parties. The non-partisan primary ballot only contains a statewide ballot measure, concerning same-sex marriage.
Then there are separate primary ballots for voters who will be age 18 by the November 2012 election, but who are not yet age 18. North Carolina law lets them vote in partisan primaries, if they will be age 18 by November. But, North Carolina law does not let them vote on ballot measures. Therefore, there are special primary ballots for these 17-year olds, that contain the partisan offices but not the statewide ballot measure.
On June 5, California will hold its primary. In the U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein is running for re-election. Because California is using a top-two primary on June 5, all candidates from all parties run on a single primary ballot. That ballot contains six Democrats, 14 Republicans, no independents, one Libertarian, one American Independent, and two Peace & Freedom Party members, for a total of 24 names.
There have been no authoritative polls in this race, but to the extent any polls have been taken, they suggest that Feinstein and Orly Taitz will place first and second. Orly Taitz is on the ballot as a Republican, and no other Republican running in the race holds elected office or enjoys high name recognition. Taitz is an Orange County attorney who has been working for four years to find and publicize evidence that President Obama does not meet the constitutional qualifications. Her ballot label is “Doctor/attorney/businesswoman.”
The other Republicans on the ballot, and their occupational ballot labels, are: John Boruff businessman; Oscar Alejandro Braun businessman/rancher; Greg Conlon businessman/CPA; Elizabeth Emken businesswoman/nonprofit executive; Rogelio Gloria graduate student/businessman; Dan Hughes small business owner; Dennis Jackson aerospace general manager; Dirk Allen Konopik MBA student; Donald Krampe retired administration director; Robert Lauten no occupation listed; Al Ramirez businessman; Nachum Shifren educator/author/businessman; Rick Williams business attorney.
California is the only state that prints the occupation of each candidate on ballots.
On April 16, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Libertarian Party of North Dakota v Jaeger, 11-1050. This is a ballot access case, which challenged the North Dakota law on how a minor party candidate for the state legislature gets on the ballot. No party can list a nominee on the November ballot for legislature unless between 10% and 15% of all the voters in the primary choose a minor party primary ballot. Because the overwhelming majority of primary voters are not interested in choosing a minor party’s primary ballot, and instead choose one of the major party primary ballots, the effect is that minor parties can never place nominees on the ballot for state legislature.
North Dakota has not had any minor party nominees on the November ballot for state legislature since 1976. The Libertarian Party’s cert petition had also pointed out that the 8th circuit, which upheld the law, make an important factual error in its decision. The 8th circuit said that the restriction is necessary to keep frivolous candidates off the ballot, because the primary vote test is the only ballot access barrier. The 8th circuit wrote that once a party qualifies (with a petition of 7,000 names) it is then forever afterwards on the ballot automatically. The truth is that minor parties go off the ballot if they don’t poll at least 5% for President, Governor, or Secretary of State. When this factual error had been pointed out to the 8th circuit, the panel refused to rehear the case and refused even to issue an amended opinion.
The Judge who wrote the 8th circuit opinion is Kermit Bye, a Clinton appointee. The two other judges who signed that opinion are Roger Wollman, a Reagan appointee, and Bobby Shepherd, a Bush Jr. appointee.
The Boise Weekly has this story about a particular paid petitioner for Americans Elect in Idaho. Even though she brings her dog and her toddler with her, according to the story, it’s not easy work.
