The Socialist Workers Party has had an exemption from reporting its campaign contributors, and its campaign expenditures, ever since 1979. But, whenever the Federal Election Commission grants the party this exemption, it always provides that the exemption will expire at a specified point in the future. The current exemption expires December 31, 2008. On October 30, the party asked that its exemption be extended. The Militant of November 17, 2008, has this article, explaining the basis for the request.

In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that the party deserved an exemption from disclosure of contributors, although on the matter of expenditures, the vote was 5-4 in the party’s favor. The case is Brown v Socialist Workers ’74 Campaign Committee, 459 US 87. That case arose in Ohio, where the issue was whether the party should have an exemption from disclosing information on contributors and expenditures for its candidates for state office.

Chicot County, Arkansas, elected its County Assessor in a partisan race last week. The only two candidates on the ballot were Democrat Barbara Esters, and Green Party nominee Elizabeth McCoy. The County Clerk says the vote totals are 2,227 for the Democrat, and 2,226 for the Green. However, the County Clerk refuses to count one absentee ballot, and even refuses to open the envelope to see whom that one voter voted for.

The Chicot County Election Commission is meeting at 9 a.m., Thursday, November 13, to decide whether to open the absentee ballot or not. The Election Commission will also decide whether to hold another election to break the tie (if there is indeed a tie), although there may not be any authority in Arkansas law to hold a run-off when only two candidates received any votes in the first round. If the Green Party wants a recount, the county may charge the Green Party approximately $1,100 to pay for it.

Chicot County is in the extreme southeast corner of Arkansas, bordering Louisiana and Mississippi. The Green Party nominee, Elizabeth McCoy, is very well-known and liked in the county. UPDATE: a new tally shows McCoy behind by 21 votes, but that tally may be incorrect. That one absentee ballot had not been opened because the County Clerk had thought the law required her to keep it sealed until today. A hand recount will be conducted. The Green Party will pay for the recount, and will get its money back if the outcome shows McCoy to have won, or tied.

Ten old-fashioned state elections offices still have a policy of not reporting unofficial election returns on their web pages. These states are: Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, and Wisconsin. If you live in one of those ten states, consider asking your state elections office to revise its policy. If 40 states and the District of Columbia can report unofficial election returns, there is no sound reason why all states cannot do this.

Elections in those ten states are under the control of the Secretary of State, except that in Illinois, New York and Wisconsin, the State Board of Elections is in charge.