Georgia’s newly-appointed State Schools Superintendent, Brad Bryant, is a Republican who wishes to run in this November’s election.  Because he was not appointed to the job until after qualifying for the Republican primary had closed, he cannot run in the Republican primary on July 20.  Georgia does not permit write-ins in partisan primaries.   Instead, he will attempt to qualify as an independent candidate.  He needs 44,089 valid signatures by July 13.

The Georgia Republican Party will help him with his petition.  The Republican who was elected to this position in 2006, Kathy Cox, resigned on May 17, after she had filed for re-election in the Republican primary.  Filing for the primary closed on April 30.  Cox’s name will continue to appear on the Republican primary ballot, but signs will be posted in polling places saying votes for her will not be counted.  Two other Republicans had filed to run against her, and one of them will be the Republican nominee.  They are John D. Barge and Richard Woods.  But the Governor, and Republican Party leaders, support Bryant.  There will also be a Democrat and a Libertarian on the November ballot for this office.

No one has ever completed a statewide independent candidate petition in Georgia for any office other than President.  The petition has been required since 1943.  Between 1943 and 1979, statewide independents needed signatures equal to 5% of the number of registered voters.  From 1979 to 1985, the requirement was 2.5%.  Since 1985 it has been 1%.  For district and county office, the requirement has been 5% since 1943.

On June 22, California held a special election to fill the vacant State Senate seat in the 15th district.  The seat is vacant because former State Senator Abel Maldonado resigned to become Lieutenant Governor.

The vote:  Sam Blakeslee, Republican, 64,676, 49.71%; John Laird, Democrat, 53,639, 41.23%; Jim Fitzgerald, independent, 7,936, 6.10%; Mark Hinkle, Libertarian, 3,848, 2.96%.

Because no one polled 50%, there will be a run-off in August.  Because California uses blanket primary rules for its special legislative and congressional elections, all four candidates who ran in June 22 will again run in August.

Blakeslee only missed being elected outright on June 22 by 373 votes.  It is likely there are still some provisional ballots remaining to be counted.

On June 22, the Utah Supreme Court unanimously ruled that electronic signatures on petitions are valid.  The decision is Anderson v Bell, 20100237.  It is 15 pages.

As a result, the plaintiff, Farley Anderson, will now appear on the Utah ballot in November as an independent candidate for Governor.  Anderson had argued in the alternative that if electronic signatures are not valid, that the March petition deadline for independent candidates (for office other than President)  is unconstitutionally early.  That argument, if successful, would have permitted him to go get more old-fashioned signatures.  But the Court didn’t decide that issue; there was no need, given the outcome on the validity of his original petition.

The electronic signatures were gathered on Anderson’s campaign web page.