Colorado’s only independent legislator, Representative Kathleen Curry, says she will file a lawsuit on August 2, to overturn Colorado’s discriminatory campaign contribution limits.  Candidates for the State House may receive contributions of $400 if they are running as members of a party.  But if they are independent candidates, no one may contribute more than $200.

The state will probably defend its law by saying that members of parties face a primary campaign as well as a general election campaign.  But the more generous limit for party members applies whether a candidate in a primary has a primary opponent or not.

In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court in Davis v Federal Election Commission struck down a federal law that gave higher contribution limits to some kinds of congressional and presidential candidates than  to other kinds of congressional and presidential candidates.  Specifically, candidates for federal office had the benefit of higher contribution limits, if they had an opponent who was spending more than $650,000 of his or her own money.

The Independent Party, which is ballot-qualified in Oregon, released the results of its party-sponsored primary on July 30.  The party mailed a passcode to all its registered members, via postal mail, at great expense to the party.  The passcode enabled the registered members of the party to vote on the internet.

This news story says only 4% of the members of the party voted in the primary.  It is interesting that when the Reform Party held a privately-sponsored mail/internet presidential primary in 1996, 4% of the Reform Party supporters who had received a ballot chose to participate.  In that presidential primary, Reform Party voters voted for either Ross Perot or Richard Lamm, for Governor of Colorado.

The Oregon results are available at the party’s web page here.  However, the party web page doesn’t show the party affiliation of the various candidates, many of whom are nominees of parties other than the Independent Party.  Oregon permits fusion this year for the first time in more than 100 years.  In the U.S. House race, 3rd district, the Independent Party’s primary was between the Libertarian nominee, and the Green Party nominee.  The Libertarian, Jeff Lawrence, won, so will be listed on the November ballot as “Libertarian, Independent”.  In the U.S. House races in the 4th and 5th districts, the primary was between the Democratic and the Republican nominees.  In each case, the Republican won the Independent Party primary so will be listed in November as “Republican, Independent.”