According to this story, the Lubbock County government attorney recently advised the county elections officials that the redistricting lawsuit currently pending may cause Texas to hold its 2012 primary in May instead of March. This would put the petition deadline for new political parties, and for non-presidential independent candidates, into July. Texas law ties the date of the primary to those petition deadlines. Oddly, however, the petition deadline for independent presidential candidates is not tied to the primary date, and would remain in early May. But because Texas won’t let minor party and independent candidates circulate petitions until after the primary is over, obviously the independent presidential deadline would need to be changed as well, or otherwise the law would only give one week for the circulation of an independent presidential candidate petition.

The last time Texas held its primary in May in a presidential year was in 1984. Ever since 1988 it has been in March.

Every week, the Americans Elect web page displays the number of signatures that have been collected so far on its various petitions for party status. This last week’s total is 2,152,890, which is 45,148 more than the total a week before then.

This New York Times story explores the means by which China prevents candidates for local office from running, or at least from winning, unless they are the nominees of the Communist Party.