The New York Times print edition of August 8 has an editorial “To Reform Albany State Here”. See it here. The editorial asks for ballot access reform, campaign finance reform, and redistricting reform. The first point in the editorial, on ballot access, suggests a filing fee instead of a petition, for candidates to get on the ballot.

The New York Times has been criticizing New York state ballot access laws for decades, but it is believed that this is the first time the Times has called for a filing fee alternative to a petition.

The New Democratic Party, generally considered to be Canada’s third most important political party (or perhaps tied for third, with the Bloc Quebecois), is considering changing its name, according to this story. The party’s national meeting next week will consider that idea.

On August 7, the Libertarian Party will file a lawsuit against the District of Columbia Board of Elections, over the Board’s refusal to count write-ins for Bob Barr for president in November 2008. UPDATE: the case was filed on August 7, although the case number can’t be known until Monday. Barr was the only declared write-in presidential candidate in the District. In order to be a declared write-in candidate in D.C., the presidential candidate must file a slate of presidential elector candidates with the Board. Each of the presidential elector candidates must have been a D.C. resident for at least three years. The residency requirement made it impossible for the Constitution Party to file for write-in status in D.C. in 2008. Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney were both on the ballot in D.C.

This will be the second lawsuit filed over a failure to count or tally write-ins. A somewhat similar lawsuit is pending in federal court in Pennsylvania over that state’s refusal to tally any write-in votes for Cynthia McKinney last year, even though she also filed a list of presidential elector candidates with the Pennsylvania Division of Elections.