The Detroit News has this interview with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He says that the Democratic Party made a mistake when it blocked primary season debates in its presidential selection process.
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On July 19, the Nebraska Democratic Party urged the Secretary of State to rule that he can’t be an independent candidate in Nebraska, because he is a minor party nominee in certain other states. See this story.
The Democratic Party letter ignores the fundamental point that the true candidates in a presidential election in November are the candidates for presidential elector. Technically, there is no “presidential election” in the United States. Instead, in November, there are 51 separate elections for slates of presidential elector candidates. The elections are separate. It is of no importance that Kennedy has elector candidates in some states that are independents, while in other states they are members of a one-state party.
Every minor party or independent presidential candidate of any consequence in U.S. history has used a mix of methods to get on the ballot. This is true for Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, Robert La Follette in 1924, Congressman Thomas Lemke in 1936, Henry Wallace in 1948, Strom Thurmond in 1948, George Wallace in 1968, Congressman John Schmitz in 1972, John Anderson in 1980, Ross Perot in both 1992 and 1996, and every Libertarian and Green presidential nominee 1976 through the present.
On July 19, the Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. campaign submitted 37,000 signatures to get on the ballot as an independent candidate in Oregon. The requirement is 23,737.
The statutory deadline is August 27, but the Oregon Secretary of State recently promulgated a rule that the “real” deadline is a month earlier. The Kennedy campaign will be submitting more signatures soon, and will contest any action by the Secretary of State to refuse them. The Federal Election Commission website says the Oregon independent petition deadline is August 27. See here.
On July 11, independent legislative candidate Justin Tjaden filed a federal lawsuit against the Ohio ballot access law for independent candidates for district office. Tjaden v Geauga County Board of Elections, n.d., 1:24cv-1176. The plaintiff had tried to get on the ballot this year, but was told he didn’t have enough valid signatures. He originally sued in state court. He is an attorney and he is using the lawsuit to attack the idea that independent candidates need far more signatures than primary candidates running for the same office. See this story.
The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Solomon Oliver, a Clinton appointee.
On July 18, an en banc decision of the Fifth Circuit said Mississippi’s ban on ex-felon voting does not violate the Eighth Amendment. The original panel in this same case had ruled that the ban does violate the Eigth Amendment, which bans cruel and unusual punishment. Hopkins v Watsoon, 19-60662. Here is the decision. The vote was 13-6.