This interesting article in the Queens Village Independent of February 4 analyzes how New York city Mayor Mike Bloomberg will run for re-election in November 2009. It seems unlikely he can be the nominee of any of the qualified parties, because of political differences between the leaders of the qualified parties and the Mayor. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for the link.
On February 5, Ralph Nader filed his response brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the Arizona ballot access case. The purpose of his brief is to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court that it shouldn’t bother to hear Arizona’s appeal. The issues are whether the U.S. Constitution protects out-of-state circulators, and whether early June is too early for an independent presidential petition deadline. Here is the brief; it’s good reading, although unfortunately the attorneys who wrote it erroneously said that Nevada and Utah have even earlier deadlines than Arizona. Actually the Nevada deadline is in July and the Utah deadline is in September.
The February 5 issue of the Gainesville (Georgia) Times has this feature story about a Georgia resident who has been disenfranchised by Georgia’s law requiring voters to show a government photo ID in order to vote at the polls. As the article explains, another bill is pending to require people to prove they are citizens before they can register to vote.
Texas state Representative Solomon Ortiz (D-Corpus Christi) has introduced HB 820. It lowers the number of signatures for both new parties and independent candidates. The bill provides for 500 signatures for new parties and for statewide independent candidates. District independent candidates would need 100 signatures, or 2% of the last gubernatorial vote, whichever is less. The Constitution Party of Texas did the work for bringing this bill into existence.
It is expected that another bill, ending the prohibition against a primary voter signing a minor party or independent candidate petition, will soon be introduced. That bill will probably be sponsored by Representative Mark Strama. That bill probably won’t lower the number of signatures.
Rhode Island State Senator David Bates (R-Barrington) has introduced SB 203. It lowers the petition to create a new party from 5% of the last vote cast, to 1%. It also lets the petition be circulated in an odd year. Current law says the petition can only be circulated in even-numbered years. The bill is co-sponsored by Senator Edward O’Neill, the legislature’s only independent.
