Ohio Ballot Access Bill About to be Introduced

Posted on by August 5, 2009
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The Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, has finished preparing a massive 252-page bill of election law revisions. The draft includes a substantial easing of ballot access for new and previously unqualified political parties. It lowers the petition to one-fourth of 1% of the last gubernatorial vote. It lowers the vote test to 1% of any statewide race at either of the last two elections.

The bill won’t have a bill number until it is formally introduced. Whether or not the bill goes into effect before the 2010 election is not determined yet. That depends on how fast the bill becomes law (assuming it does pass). The legislature is not sitting until September, but it is technically considered to be in session now, for the purpose of introducing bills. Thanks to Kevin Knedler for this news.

New Alaska Voter Registration Data

Posted on by August 4, 2009
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Alaska releases updated information on the number of registered voters in each party every month. The August 4 tally is available here.

The only parties which gained between the July 3 tally and the August 3 tally are the Libertarian and Alaskan Independence Parties. The percentages are as follows, with the July tally listed first and the August tally second:

Republican: 26.08%, 26.06%
Democratic: 15.66%, 15.64%
Alaskan Indpc: 2.76%, 2.77%
Libertarian: 1.33%, 1.45%
Rep. Moderate: .65%, .64%
Green: .54%, .53%
Veterans: .38%, .38%
Independents: 52.61%, 52.54%

Parties need 9,786 registrants by the spring of 2010 in order to be recognized for the 2010 election. The only parties that have that many are Republican, Democratic and Alaskan Independence, although those three parties don’t actually need any number of registrants because all three of them met the alternate vote test in 2008. Libertarians currently have 6,956, so still need another 2,830. The formula to be on the ballot in a midterm year is to have registration of 3% of the last presidential vote. That formula was made more severe in 2004; before then, it was always 3% of the last gubernatorial vote. If that were still the registration test, the number of registrations needed would only be 7,119.

Idaho Releases Figures on Political Party Income Tax Contributions

Posted on by August 4, 2009
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Idaho is one of the thirteen states that gives state income taxpayers a chance to send a small donation to a political party, via the tax return. The tax returns that have come in this spring reveal that the 4 qualified parties will receive these amounts: Democratic $18,278; Republican $13,378; Libertarian $1,456; Constitution $1,208.

This is the third year in a row in which the Idaho Democratic Party has received more than the Idaho Republican Party. By contrast, in all years 2000 through 2006, Republicans received more.

Figures for all 13 states’ income tax returns will be in a future paper issue of Ballot Access News (probably the September 1 2009 issue).

Illinois Primary Petitioning for 2010 Starts Today

Posted on by August 4, 2009
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August 4 is the first day for Illinois residents who want to run for federal and state office in the 2010 primary to begin petitioning.

Illinois requires all candidates running in a partisan primary, for federal and state office, to submit petitions. Because the 2010 primary for all federal and state office is in February, petitions to get on a primary ballot ballot circulate from early August to early November of the year before the election. Illinois is the only state that has ever held its midterm year primary for Congress and state office as early as February. See this news story.

Many Illinois newspapers have editorialized that the state’s midterm primary date is ridiculously early, but the state’s legislators did not seriously consider moving it. Incumbents tend to feel that it is easier for them to get re-elected when the primary is very early.

Tennessee Ballot Access Lawsuit Starts to Make Headway

Posted on by August 4, 2009
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The Tennessee Libertarian, Constitution and Green Parties filed a lawsuit against that state’s ballot access laws for minor parties back in January 2008. The suit has been snarled in procedural delays for some time, but now meaningful conversations between attorneys for both sides are taking place, with progress expected toward resolution.