According to this story, a recent Fairleigh Dickinson University poll of the New Jersey gubernatorial race shows independent candidate Chris Daggett at 17%. Daggett does better in polls that ask about him by name, according to this poll, indicating he is gaining name recognition.
The Moderate Party, the only ballot-qualified party in Rhode Island other than the Democratic and Republican Parties, has announced that it has formed town committees in 17 of Rhode Island’s municipalities. Rhode Island only has 39 municipalities. The party says it is organizing additional committees in more places. The places in which the party already has committees are Barrington, Bristol, Burrillville, Coventry, Cranston, Cumberland, East Greenwich, Foster, Glocester, Jamestown, Lincoln, Narragansett, North Kingston, Providence, Scituate, Warwick, and West Warwick.
The Moderate Party, the only ballot-qualified party in Rhode Island other than the Democratic and Republican Parties, has announced that it has formed town committees in 17 of Rhode Island’s municipalities. Rhode Island only has 39 municipalities. The party says it is organizing additional committees in more places. The places in which the party already has committees are Barrington, Bristol, Burrillville, Coventry, Cranston, Cumberland, East Greenwich, Foster, Glocester, Jamestown, Lincoln, Narragansett, North Kingston, Providence, Scituate, Warwick, and West Warwick.
On August 27, the Green Party of Arkansas had filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that the vote test for a party to remain on the ballot is unduly limited. The law seems to require a party to poll 3% for president in order to remain on the ballot in a presidential election year. No matter how well it does in other statewide races, it is removed from the ballot without a good showing in the presidential race.
The state is asking that the case be dismissed before any evidence-gathering is conducted. The state filed its brief on October 12, and seems to argue that if the petition requirements to get a party back on the ballot are reasonable, any retention test is constitutional, no matter how difficult that test is. The Green Party’s brief had been filed on October 5.
On October 20, the 9th circuit heard oral arguments in Gonzalez v State of Arizona, 08-17094, over Arizona’s law that does not permit foreign-born U.S. citizens to register to vote until they show their Naturalization Certificate to elections officials. The 3-judge panel included former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. See this story. According to the story, O’Connor said a previous 9th circuit opinion, denying injunctive relief against the law, “was clearly wrong.” The earlier 9th circuit opinion, dated April 20, 2007, and found at 485 F.3d 1041, had been influenced by a U.S. Supreme Court order that also denied injunctive relief against that Arizona law.
This case is complicated because there is a federal law on voter registration, and it has never been clear to what extent states can add additional requirements.
