Socialist Workers Party Announces Mayoral Candidate in Chicago

The Socialist Workers Party recently announced that one of its members is a write-in candidate for Mayor of Chicago.  He is John Hawkins.  As far as is known, he is the only person running for Chicago Mayor who is not a member of one of the two major parties.  Hawkins is a write-in candidate because he did not submit the needed 12,500 signatures to get on the ballot.  The election is February 22, 2011, and is officially non-partisan.

In 1975, when Chicago Mayoral elections were partisan, the Socialist Workers Party placed its Mayoral candidate on the ballot.  She was Willie Mae Reed, and she was the first minor party candidate to get on the ballot for Mayor of Chicago since before 1931, the year the legislature set the petitioning requirement at 5% of the last vote cast.

In the 2011 election, six candidates for Mayor submitted petitions and were not challenged.  They are Danny K. Davis, Miguel Del Valle, Gery Chico, Patricia Watkins, James T. Meeks, and William Walls.  Another nine candidates submitted petitions and are being challenged.  A few others submitted petitions but then withdrew or have already been declared to have insufficient petitions.  UPDATE:  on December 23, James T. Meeks, a State Senator, withdrew from the race.

For City Treasurer, only two candidates submitted petitions, and both of them are being challenged.  See this article about the two petitions in that race.

Rahm Emanuel Candidacy for Chicago Mayor Passes First Test

On December 23, the hearing officer released his opinion on whether Rahm Emanuel should be on the February 2011 ballot for Mayor of Chicago.  He ruled in favor of Rahm, whose petitions had been challenged on the basis that he had not resided in Chicago during the past year.  See this story.  The Chicago Board of Elections is expected to approve the hearing officer’s recommendation.  At that point, objectors to Emanuel’s ballot position will then file a lawsuit.  Thanks to Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for the link.  UPDATE:  the Chicago Board of Elections accepted the hearing officer’s conclusion; see this story.

U.S. District Court Finds that New Mexico has not been in Compliance with National "Motor Voter" Law

On December 21, a U.S. District Court in New Mexico ruled that welfare offices in that state have not been following the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.  The 23-page decision is Vladez v Herrera, 09-668 JCH.  The national law requires welfare agencies to distribute blank voter registration cards to everyone who does business with the agencies, unless the person says in writing that he or she doesn’t want a form.  But in New Mexico, the welfare forms ask the person filling out the form if he or she wants a blank voter registration card.  The New Mexico form also says if people fail to answer that question, they will not be given a form.

U.S. District Court Finds that New Mexico has not been in Compliance with National “Motor Voter” Law

On December 21, a U.S. District Court in New Mexico ruled that welfare offices in that state have not been following the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.  The 23-page decision is Vladez v Herrera, 09-668 JCH.  The national law requires welfare agencies to distribute blank voter registration cards to everyone who does business with the agencies, unless the person says in writing that he or she doesn’t want a form.  But in New Mexico, the welfare forms ask the person filling out the form if he or she wants a blank voter registration card.  The New Mexico form also says if people fail to answer that question, they will not be given a form.