On July 5, the California Assembly Elections Committee passed SB 205 on a party-line vote, with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans opposed. It outlaws paying workers on a per-registration card basis, when that worker is trying to persuade people to register into particular parties. Mark Hinkle, national chair of the Libertarian Party, and C. T. Weber, former state chair of the Peace & Freedom Party, both testified against the bill. The only method left for those two parties to remain ballot-qualified is to increase the number of people registered in those parties.

The bill now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. It has already passed the Senate.

On July 3, Fred Newman, the founder of the New Alliance Party, died. He was 76. See this story. Thanks to Nancy Hanks for this news.

The New Alliance Party made history in 1988, when it placed its presidential nominee, Lenora Fulani, on the ballot in all 50 states. The party also elected a Nebraska State Senator in 1988, although technically the election was non-partisan. Ernie Chambers was the New Alliance Party’s U.S. Senate nominee in Nebraska that year, and was a registered member of the New Alliance Party. He couldn’t be on the ballot simultaneously as a candidate for re-election to the State Senate, so he won with write-in votes.

Current Colorado law lets individuals contribute only half as much money to an independent candidate as to a Democrat or a Republican. In 2010 a supporter of an independent candidate for the legislature filed a lawsuit against this discriminatory policy. The U.S. District Court referred the question to the Colorado Supreme Court, and asked the Colorado Supreme Court to determine if the state law violates the Colorado constitution. The State Supreme Court will hear that question on either September 27, 28 or 29. The Colorado Supreme Court, like most state supreme courts, doesn’t sit during the summer. The case is Riddle v Ritter.