Alaska publishes updated voter registration data every month. The data published on December 4, 2009, has a new feature. It includes voter registration data by age group as well as by political party.

The biggest age group in general is the 45-54 group. There are more registered Democrats, more registered Republicans, and more registered members of the Alaskan Independence Party in this age group than in any other age group.

But the 25-34 age group is the biggest age group for each of the other parties that the state tracks. That is true for each of these parties: Libertarian, Republican Moderate, Green, and Veterans Parties. See the chart here.

From Independent Political Report comes this news, that Nick Taiber was elected to the City Council of Cedar Falls, Iowa, on December 1. He is a member of the Iowa Libertarian Party executive committee, and he is a registered Libertarian.

Cedar Falls has a population of 36,000, and is home to the University of Northern Iowa. All city elections in Iowa are non-partisan.

On December 3, the 5th circuit heard oral arguments in Libertarian Party v Dardenne, the case over whether the Louisiana Secretary of State should have accepted the party’s presidential elector paperwork last year. The statutory deadline was September 2, but the Republican Party missed that deadline, not because of any hurricane, but because the party was unable to fill out the paperwork until the national convention had nominated John McCain and Sarah Palin, which was done on September 4. There is a factual dispute as to whether the Republicans submitted the paperwork on September 5 or September 8.

The Secretary of State extended the deadline through September 8, but the Libertarian paperwork wasn’t submitted until September 10. The Governor had issued a proclamation easing deadlines until September 12, but the Secretary of State does not agree that the gubernatorial proclamation relates to this type of deadline.

At the hearing, Judge Catherine Haynes (a Bush, Jr. appointee) seemed scornful of the Libertarian Party’s arguments, but Judge James Dennis (a Clinton appointee) asked questions that seemed supportive. Judge Carl Stewart, the third judge, did not ask any questions. Anyone can hear the 30 minute oral argument by going to the 5th circuit’s webpage here. Choose “Libertarian Party v Dardenne”.

If there are any disputed facts, precedent demands that a plaintiff must be granted a trial. There has not yet been a trial in this case. The attorney for the state made much out of the fact that Gloria LaRiva was able to file her presidential elector paperwork in person on September 2. However, LaRiva has told Richard Winger that on that day, the entire office building which houses the Secretary of State’s office was dark, as though the electricity was off. No building personnel were on duty in the lobby. The building appeared deserted. But, the doors weren’t locked. She made her way upstairs and found that someone was available to receive her paperwork.

At the oral argument, the attorney for the Libertarian Party said that when elections officials are confronted with instances at which the major parties were late with presidential elector paperwork, they always excuse the error. He did not list specific instances. However, it is well-documented in court decisions that either the Republicans, or the Democrats, or both, were late in Texas in 2008, and in Indiana in 1988, and in Iowa in 1964. There are probably other instances, such as Florida 2000, but they are not entirely documented.