The New York Times of January 16 has this article about protests in Iraq, over a government decision to bar hundreds of candidates from the ballot, in the regional elections set for March. The candidates were removed from the ballot on the basis that in the past they had been too closely associated with the former ruling party, the Baath Party.

Six states in the United States still have election laws that bar certain political parties, or certain candidates, from the ballot, based on their beliefs. They are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill several years ago that would have eliminated a related law. The California law, which is still on the books because of the Governor’s veto, bars anyone who has been a member of the Communist Party in the last five years from being employed by a public school district. That is not an election law but it is a close cousin of other California election laws that bar subversive parties from the ballot and that require candidates to sign an oath that they have not been a member of the Communist Party in the last five years. The laws are not enforced because they have been held unconstitutional, but the legislature hasn’t repealed them.

On January 11, Senator Bill Avery introduced LR 279CA, a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Nebraska. It would make it easier for initiatives to get on the ballot to change a state law, but more difficult for initiatives to get on the ballot to change the state Constitution.

The bill would lower the number of signatures to put a statutory initiative on the ballot from 7% of the number of registered voters, to 4%. But it would raise the number to change the constitution from 10% of the number of registered voters, to 15%. If the bill passes, it would go on the ballot for the voters to pass or reject. Thanks to Ballotpedia for this news.

According to this news story, two individuals with the same name are both active in the campaign for U.S. House in California’s 39th district. They are both named John Smith. One John Smith is a Democrat and the other John Smith is a member of the American Independent Party. UPDATE: thanks to an alert commenter below, who points out that the Democratic Party’s John Smith is politically active in that district, but he is not a candidate.