Barry Hess Wins 4-Way Arizona Gubernatorial Primary

Posted on by August 25, 2010
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Arizona held primaries on August 24 for the Democratic, Green, Libertarian and Republican Parties.  The Libertarian gubernatorial primary had 4 candidates on the ballot.  Barry Hess won with 1,135 votes, or 43.1%.  Second was Bruce Olsen with 546 votes, 20.7%.  Third was Ron Cavanaugh, 484 votes, 18.4%.  Fourth was Alvin Yount, 208, 7.9%.  There were also 260 write-ins for Governor.  These results are not entirely final.

Although the Green Party had no statewide contests with more than a single person on the primary ballot, the primary turnout in the Green primary was surprisingly high.  For Governor, Larry Gist’s name was on the ballot, and he received 1,628 votes.  There are 403 write-ins for Governor in the Green Party primary, showing that at least 2,031 voters voted in the Green Party primary.  The Green Party let independent voters vote in its primary, whereas the Libertarian Party did not.

Constitution Party Fails to Qualify in Delaware, but Blue Enigma Party Does Re-Qualify

Posted on by August 25, 2010
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Parties are ballot-qualified in Delaware this year if they have registration equal to at least one-twentieth of 1% of the state total.  This year, that meant 305 registrants are needed.  The deadline has passed, and the Constitution Party fell short by 17 members.

However, the Blue Enigma Party did qualify, with 311 members.  That party was founded in 2008 to work for better salaries for teachers.  It joins the other ballot-qualified minor parties:  Independent Party, Libertarian, Working Families, and Green.

Delaware makes it difficult for any party to gain registrations during an election year.  Delaware has the nation’s second most restrictive law on whether voters may change parties, in the months before a primary, and also (irrationally) in the months before a general election.  There is no state interest in preventing voters from changing parties  in the months before a general election, and Delaware is the only state that does that.  There is an ostensible purpose to making it impossible for voters to change parties before a primary, to prevent “raiding” (insincere attempts by voters to join a political party just to manipulate who wins its primary).  The only state that is more rigid about letting voters switch parties before a primary is New York.

California State Court of Appeals Construes San Francisco Term Limits Law Strictly

Posted on by August 24, 2010
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On August 24, the California State Court of Appeals issued a ruling in Arntz v Superior Court.  The decision is here. The issue was whether San Francisco Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier may be on the November 2010 ballot for County Supervisor.  San Francisco has term limits for Supervisors.  They may run for two four-year terms.  The Court ruled that she may not run in 2010.

Alioto-Pier was appointed in January 2004, and then elected to a 2-year short term in November 2004, and to her only 4-year term in November 2006.  She will appeal to the State Supreme Court.

Hearing Set in Case Against Rhode Island “Straight-Ticket” Device

Posted on by August 24, 2010
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A U.S. District Court in Rhode Island will hear Healey v State, 10-316, on September 1.  The judge has indicated he will make a decision within two or three days afterwards.  The issue is the state’s “straight-ticket” device, which lets voters cast a vote for all nominees of one particular party without even looking at the part of the ballot that shows who is running.

Healey is an independent candidate for Lieutenant Governor, with the ballot label “Cool Moose.”  Independent candidates, of course, do not get their own straight-ticket device.

A second federal lawsuit against Rhode Island’s straight-ticket device was filed on August 20.  It is Lusi v Mollis, 10-350.  The lead plaintiff, Joseph Lusi, is an independent candidate for Governor.

Although it may seem late in the election season for a case like this to be heard, Rhode Island does not hold its primary until September 14, and the issue of straight-ticket devices only affects the November ballot.  Obviously Rhode Island can’t print its November ballots until after it has counted the votes in the primary.

Socialist Action Places Congressional Nominee on Connecticut Ballot

Posted on by August 24, 2010
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On August 24, the Connecticut Secretary of State said that the Socialist Action Party’s candidate for U.S. House, 1st district, has enough valid signatures.  The candidate is Chris Hutchinson.  This will be the first time any party with “Socialist” in its name will have been on the ballot for a U.S. House race in Connecticut since 1960, the last year Jasper McLevy ran for Congress.  McLevy was well-known for being elected Mayor of Bridgeport on the Socialist Party ticket.

Socialist Action has run candidates for non-partisan office before, but this is its first time on the ballot in a partisan election.  The group is several decades old.  It originally began when the Socialist Workers Party expelled some members, who then organized the new group.

Connecticut’s First U.S. House district is centered on Hartford.  There will also be Democratic, Republican, and Green Party nominees in the race.