The Boston Globe has this interesting story about Vermont’s independent U.S. Senator, Bernie Sanders. One of the interesting tidbits in the story is that Senator Sanders’ older brother, Larry Sanders, is an elected Green Party county councillor in Oxford, England.
On January 1, “Third Party and Independent Daily” was launched. See it here. We seem to be at a moment in time when interest in independent candidates and minor parties is growing. The new blog is one sign of that. Also, the number of former or current public officials who say they will run as independent candidates in 2010 is large and constantly growing.
The Kentucky Senate State and Local Government Committee holds a hearing on Wednesday, January 13, on SB 53. The bill requires political parties that hold primaries to let independent voters vote in those primaries. In Kentucky, only parties that polled at least 20% of the last presidential vote are entitled to primaries. Parties that polled at least 2% for President, but under 20%, nominate by convention. The bill doesn’t have any provision about parties that nominate by convention.
Gregg Jocoy has this eye-witness account of the oral argument in the South Carolina Supreme Court in the Green Party’s ballot access case. It is posted at Green Party Watch.
New Hampshire is one of four states that has recently refused to let an unqualified party circulate a petition for a presidential candidate, using a stand-in. The other states are Maine, Massachusetts, and Alabama. The Libertarian Party sued New Hampshire over this policy in 2008, in federal court. The case has moved slowly and had been set for a trial, to start February 11, 2010. However, the magistrate in that case has determined that there is no need for a trial, because there are no disputed facts, so the case will not need a trial. The case is Libertarian Party of New Hampshire v Gardner, 08-cv-367. A decision will be rendered based on briefs already filed, so a decision could come at any time.
Last year, a U.S. District Court in Massachusetts ruled in favor of the Libertarian Party, in a very similar case. Massachusetts has appealed that decision, and briefs are about to be filed in the First Circuit. The Libertarian Party also won a similar case against Florida in 1996.
Some states have never been asked if they will permit a stand-in on a presidential petition. In some states, there is no need for a stand-in, because the state has a party petition procedure. A party petition procedure enables a group to petition for a place on the ballot before it has chosen any nominees, so the problem doesn’t arise.
