Ballot Access News 1990 Issues Now Posted

For those interested in history, the 1990 paper issues of Ballot Access News are now posted on this web page. Thanks to Michael Ravnitzky and Eric Garris for their work making this possible.

Past paper issues are reached via the link near the upper right corner of the site. Don’t confuse past paper issues with past blog entries.

California Senate Confirms Senator Maldonado as New Lieutenant Governor

On April 26, the California Senate confirmed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s nomination of State Senator Abel Maldonado to be the state’s new Lieutenant Governor. Senator Maldonado is the author of Proposition 14, the “top-two” primary measure on the June 8, 2010 ballot. UPDATE: Governor Schwarzenegger says the special election to fill the vacant Senate seat will be in the summer of 2010. See this story.

The Assembly had already confirmed him. The confirmation will probably help the campaign against Proposition 14. Proponents of the measure repeat over and over that the California legislature is polarized and partisan. The fact that the California legislature, with strong majorities for the Democratic Party in both houses, was willing to vote for a Republican, will blunt that charge.

Republicans Likely to Have No Candidate for Massachusetts Attorney General

According to this story, the Massachusetts Republican Party won’t have any nominee on the November 2010 ballot for Attorney General. Any minor party that manages to get on the statewide ballot and to run a candidate for Attorney General is virtually guaranteed to poll at least 3%, under those circumstances. Groups that poll 3% for any statewide race become qualified parties.