On April 28, the Constitution Party of Kansas filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court. The case is called Constitution Party of Kansas v Biggs. The complaint has two parts: (1) a challenge to a state law that makes it illegal for out-of-state residents to circulate petitions to create a new party in Kansas; (2) a challenge to a state law that makes it impossible for a voter to register into a party unless that party is already qualified. UPDATE: the case, 10-4043, is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Sam A. Crow, a Reagan appointee.

The 10th circuit has already ruled favorably on both issues, in cases in other states, and Kansas is in the 10th circuit. The 10th circuit struck down a ban on out-of-state circulators in Oklahoma in 2008, in Yes on Term Limits v Savage. The 10th circuit struck down a ban on letting voters register into unqualified parties in 1984 in Baer v Meyer, a Colorado case.

Colombia holds a presidential election on May 30. Recent polls show a lead for Green Party nominee Antanas Mockus. See this story. Mockus has 39% and his closest competitor, Juan Manuel Santos of the Unity Party, has 34%.

If no one gets as much as 50%, there will be a run-off on June 20. The Green Party has enjoyed electoral success in many nations around the world, but it has never before actually had an office-holder in any nation who was head of government.

On April 29, the U.S. House passed HR 2499 by a vote of 223 to 169. Now it goes to the U.S. Senate. It provides that a vote be conducted on the future political status of Puerto Rico. Any adult U.S. citizen who was born in Puerto Rico would be eligible to vote.

There would actually be two votes. The first vote would be on whether to conduct the second vote. If the first vote says “Yes” to the second vote, then that second vote would give four choices: (1) statehood; (2) the status quo, which is Commonwealth status; (3) sovereignty in association with the United States; (4) independence.

If this bill becomes law, the election (or elections) would be conducted by the federal government, not by the states. That alone would be historic. The federal government has never conducted an election in which residents of various states are eligible to vote.