The Alaskan Independence Party has decided not to ask for U.S. Supreme Court review in the case over whether the party can prevent a particular voter from running in its primary for public office. The case is called Alaskan Independence Party v State of Alaska, and the 9th circuit had denied the party’s request on October 22, 2008. The case had been filed to prevent Daniel DeNardo from running in its primaries, since he is very hostile to the party and had been suing it for slander.

The party may file a new case in Alaska State Court. The Alaska Constitution gives more Freedom of Association rights to political parties than the U.S. Constitution does. For example, the Alaskan Supreme Court a few years ago ruled that if several qualified political parties want to use a blanket primary ballot in cooperation with each other, the State Constitution protects their ability to do that, even though it contradicted state law. That is why Alaska is the only state that uses a blanket primary. Parties that have participated in the blanket primary have been the Democratic, Alaskan Independence, Libertarian and Green Parties. The Republican Party never wanted to be part of the blanket primary ballot, so it has its own primary ballot.

New Mexico is the only state in which state elections officials have still not used the November 2008 election returns to determine which parties are ballot-qualified and which are not. The person in the New Mexico Secretary of State who is in charge of making that determination has been saying for four months that he is too busy to look at the issue, but that he will look at it as soon as the legislature adjourns. The New Mexico legislature’s last day is Saturday, March 21.

On March 17, the Minnesota Supreme Court granted expedited review in the case on whether the Minnesota Constitution permits Instant Runoff Voting. A lower court had ruled on January 13, 2009, that nothing in the State Constitution prevents cities from using IRV for their own elections. Opponents of IRV had then appealed. The State Supreme Court wants the brief of opponents submitted by March 27, and the brief of supporters of IRV to be submitted by April 6. The case is Minnesota Voters Alliance v City of Minneapolis, A09-182.