Cumbersome Hawaii Election Rules Prevent Voters from Choosing the State Representative in First District

Posted on by July 30, 2024
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On July 11, Hawaii state representative Mark Nakashima died.  He had been running for re-election and no one had filed to run against him in the August 10 Democratic primary.  Nor did anyone to file in any other party’s primary ballot in that district, nor did any independent candidate file.

Hawaii is one of only five states that bans all write-ins in all elections.  Because there is no write-in space, when only one candidate files, that candidate cannot be defeated.  So, voters in the First State House District effectively have lost their ability to choose their state representative.

Hawaii election law provides that the new Representative will be chosen by the Governor, from a list of three Democrats suggested by the Democratic Party.  See this story.

U.S. District Court Upholds Mississippi’s Law Allowing Five Days After the Election for Mail Ballots to Arrive

Posted on by July 29, 2024
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On July 28, U.S. District Court Judge Louis Guirola, a Bush Jr. appointee, upheld Mississippi’s law that allows five days for voted absentee ballots to arrive in the elections office.  Republican National Committee v Wetzel, s.d., 1:24cv-37.  The Libertarian Party of Mississippi had filed a very similar lawsuit, 1:24cv-37, and the two cases had been combined.

The plaintiffs argued that federal law sets the election day and that an “election” is not held until the ballots arrive in the elections office.  The judge disagreed.  Here is the opinion.

Nine Presidential Candidates Submit Petitions in New Jersey

Posted on by July 30, 2024
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July 29 is the New Jersey petition deadline for independent presidential candidates and the presidential candidates of unqualified parties.  Nine presidential candidates submitted petitions:  independents Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Shiva Ayyadurai; and the nominees of the Libertarian, Green, Constitution, American Solidarity, Socialism & Liberation, Socialist Workers Parties, and Socialist Equality Parties.

Shiva Ayyadurai was born in India and a news story says that the Secretary of State will need to decide whether to print his name on the ballot.  The story did not mention that New Jersey has an unbroken tradition of putting ineligible presidential candidates on the November ballot.  They include the Socialist Workers Party presidential candidates in 1972, 2004, and 2008 (Linda Jeness and Roger Calero); the Prohibition Party vice-presidential nominee in 1892 (James Cranfill); the Workers World Party candidate in 1988 (Larry Holmes); and the 2008 vice-presidential nominee of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (Eugene Puryear).

Ayyadurai’s ballot label is “Dr. Shiva.”  This post has been updated to include the Socialist Equality Party nominee.