On December 28, Americans Elect submitted paperwork to the Vermont Secretary of State’s office, to become a qualified party in that state. Vermont allows a group to transform itself into a qualified party if the group shows that it has a town committee in at least 10 towns. Americans Elect submitted paperwork for 15 towns.

The deadline for this process is December 31, 2011. It seems likely that Americans Elect will be the only new group to qualify in Vermont by the organization method. The previously qualified minor parties in Vermont are all re-qualifying, however. They are the Liberty Union, Libertarian, and Working Families Parties. The Progressive Party continues to be a qualified major party along with the Democrats and Republicans. Major parties nominate by primary and have their own presidential primary; qualified minor parties nominate by convention.

Groups that fail to qualify by organization can place candidates on the November ballot if they submit candidate petitions by June 2012, listing their nominees. Those petitions allow a party label for the group. The June petition deadline is under court attack for being too early.

On December 28, both Americans Elect, and the Justice Party, filed the notice with the Texas Secretary of State saying they intend to petition to get on the 2012 ballot. Texas law does not permit this petition to start circulating until the primary is over. The Texas 2012 primary will be April 3. The petition deadline is June 17.

Other unqualified parties that had already filed the notice include the Constitution Party and the Generation Party. The Libertarian and Green Parties are already on the Texas ballot, so do not need to petition. The notice is due January 2, 2012.

As reported earlier, on November 21, 2011, the Peace & Freedom, Libertarian and Green Parties filed a lawsuit in state court against the essence of the top-two system. Hearings are now set in that case, which is in Alameda County Superior Court and is called Rubin v Bowen. On March 13 the court will hear the plaintiffs’ request for an injunction against Proposition 14. And on March 20, the court will hear the motion by the state to dismiss the case. Thanks to Dave Kadlecek for this news.