82% of Voters Will See at least One Libertarian on their Ballots

There is at least one Libertarian on the ballot across the U.S, in areas containing 81.9% of the voters, for the November 2010 election.  The Libertarian Party, as is usual in midterm years, is on the ballot in more places than any other minor party.

For 2010, the equivalent percentages for other leading minor parties are:  Green, 54.6%; Constitution, 39.0%; Working Families, 8.8%.  Of course, most of the Working Families Party nominees are also Democratic Party nominees.

Also, 7.3% of the voters will see a candidate on the ballot with the Tea Party label, but there is no nationally-organized political party with that name.  Voters will see the Tea Party label in Florida, Nevada, and in a single U.S. House district in New Jersey.  And, 9.5% of voters will see an Independence Party nominee on their ballots, but there is no national political party with that name, just three particular state parties in Minnesota, New York, and South Carolina.

U.S. District Court Decision in Credico Case Tough to Predict, but will Come Soon

On October 19, a U.S. District Court in Manhatten heard oral arguments in Credico v New York State Board of Elections.  The issue is whether it is constitutional to force Randy Credico, the joint nominee of the Libertarian and Anti-Prohibition Parties for U.S. Senate, to be limited to appearing only once on the ballot.  New York lets two qualified parties jointly nominate the same candidate, and when that happens, that candidate is listed on two lines.  New York also lets a qualified party and an unqualified party jointly nominate the same candidate, and when that happens, the candidate is also listed on two lines.

But when two unqualified parties jointly nominate the same person, he or she must be limited to appearing on only one line, although both party labels appear in tiny print next to the name of that candidate.

A decision will be quick.  Observers in the courtroom feel the decision could go either way.

U.S. District Court Hears Five Hours of Testimony on Whether Zone Near Polling Place is Public Forum

A U.S. District Court in Cincinnati heard five hours of testimony on October 18, in Liberty Township Tea Party v International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.  See this story.  There will be another hearing on October 20, and probably soon after a quick decision.  The issue is whether the zone around polling places (that is beyond the 100 feet no-electioneering restricted area) becomes a public forum on days when voting is occurring.