On October 5, State Senator Joseph Addabbo, chair of the New York State Senate Elections Committee, said he will introduce a bill to eliminate run-off primaries in New York city. See this story. Because Addabbo is chair, it is very likely this bill will make headway when the State Senate next convenes. It is not now in session.
Florida holds a special election on October 6 to fill the vacant State Senate seat, district 8. According to this news story, the only name on the ballot is John Thrasher, a Republican. The story also says the election is costing the taxpayers $700,000. Thrasher has three write-in opponents.
A large proportion of Florida legislative races are one-candidate elections, even though Florida has a very lenient law for ballot access for parties. The cause of so many one-candidate elections is that Florida filing fees are so large. A U.S. House filing fee is approximately $9,000, and the fee to run for the legislature is approximately $2,000.
On October 6, a New York Superior Court in Suffolk County, New York, ruled that the lawsuit Kosin v Geier should be dismissed. This means that none of the Libertarian candidates for county office in that county will be on the November 3, 2009 ballot. The case was dismissed because the Libertarian Party plaintiffs failed to serve notice of the lawsuit on one of the people who had challenged the party’s petition.
As a result, the voters of Suffolk County will only have one candidate to vote for, in all the races for countywide executive positions. The five qualified parties of New York state all agreed to support all of the incumbents who are running for re-election, so all the races are one-candidate elections.
New York state elects Supreme Court Justices by popular vote, in partisan races, in November of all calendar years. In New York, the Supreme Court is not the highest court; it is a trial court where cases begin. The state is divided into twelve districts for the purpose of electing Supreme Court Justices.
According to this newspaper story, a challenge to the Democratic Party’s judicial nominees in the 5th district will be heard by a Supreme Court Justice sometime this week. The challenger argues that the Democratic Party’s convention, held to choose nominees, broke the election law and that the nominees should be removed from the ballot. The 5th district includes Syracuse and the surrounding area.
On October 5, paperwork on behalf of the Alan Keyes faction of the American Independent Party was filed in the lawsuit King v Robinson, pending in California Superior Court in Solano County. The lawsuit had been filed by the faction of the AIP that is loyal to the national Constitution Party, back on March 16, 2009. The case had been stalled ever since, because the Keyes faction had been ducking service, but the response shows that both sides are now entered into the case. The purpose of the lawsuit is to determine who the proper state party officers are. In 2008, rival state conventions had been held, and the California Secretary of State had recognized the Keyes faction. Consequently, she placed Alan Keyes on the November 2008 ballot instead of Chuck Baldwin.
