Former Ohio Congressman James Traficant filed 3,138 signatures on May 3, to be an independent candidate for U.S. House in the 17th district. Ohio elections officials say that the petition is insufficient. Traficant needed 2,199 valid signatures, and elections officials say he only submitted 2,092 valid signatures, for a validity rate of 66.67%. Traficant disputes the determination. See this story.
Howie Hawkins, New York Green Party gubernatorial candidate, has this 14-minute talk on how to circulate petitions effectively. Thanks to Green Party Watch for the link.
Moritz College of Law Professor Dale A. Oesterle has this interesting commentary on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Doe v Reed. Oesterle does not so much take sides in the case, as to point out the unclear legal standards set forth in the decision. Doe v Reed is the case from Washington state on whether governments should release the names and addresses of petition signers to the public.
Among the unanswered questions, according to Oesterle, is whether the principles set forth in the case apply to petitions other than referendum petitions. He is especially curious about whether the analysis would apply to recall petitions. Recall petitions, more than any other petitions with legal affect, are closest to voting, and the nation has a strong tradition for the last 120 years that voting should be secret.
As Oesterle notes, the case is not finished, and now returns to U.S. District Court in Washington to decide if names and addresses from the particular referendum petition that caused the case should be released to the public.
The League of Women Voters recently sponsored general election debates for Texas candidates for Governor and Attorney General in Kerrville. See this story. However, neither of the Republican nominees participated. The article does not explain why the Green Party gubernatorial candidate was not in the debate. Concerning the Attorney General debate, there is no Green Party nominee.
The Socialist Workers Party has released a list of its candidates for public office this year. The party expects to be on the statewide ballot in Iowa. It also expects to be on the ballot for one U.S. House race in New York, and one in Iowa. Finally, it expects to be on the ballot for Mayor of Washington, D.C. All the other candidates will be write-in candidates.
