Barr On Ballot Before 94.6% of Voters

Posted on by October 23, 2008
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Since it is now almost certain that Barr will not be on the ballot in Connecticut, it can be presumed that his name will be on ballots containing 94.6% of the voters. The calculation uses 2004 turnout data. Of course, the distribution of where the votes come from across the U.S. will not be precisely what it was in 2004, and the exact figure can’t be known until all the votes are counted in November 2008.

The last time the Libertarian Party missed putting its presidential candidate on the ballot in more than two states was 1988. In that year, Ron Paul, the Libertarian nominee, was on ballots containing 92.3% of the total vote cast. Paul missed being on in North Carolina, West Virginia, Indiana and Missouri.

Barr Loses Connecticut Ballot Access Case

Posted on by October 23, 2008
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On October 23, U.S. District Court Judge Janet Hall said that Connecticut need not reprint its ballots to include Bob Barr. The key factor in the decision was the state’s testimony that it would be almost impossible to reprint the ballots. There will be no appeal of the denial of injunctive relief. However, the Libertarian Party will keep the case alive, with the goal of getting the signature-checking process declared unconstitutional. The “Help America Vote Act” of 2002 mandated that each state have its own centralized list of registered voters. Therefore, the New England tradition that town clerks must check ballot access petitions seems not only cumbersome and faulty, but no longer necessary.

Montana Governor Suggests that Pro-Gun Rights Voters Ought to Vote for Barr

Posted on by October 23, 2008
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On October 23, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat who is pro-gun rights himself, was quoted in the Missoulian newspaper as saying that there is very little difference on policy concerning gun laws between Barack Obama and John McCain. He also suggests that voters who are most concerned to protect the rights of gun owners might wish to vote for Bob Barr.

Meanwhile, an MSU-Billings Poll released on October 23 gives these results. 400 voters were included in the poll: Obama 44.4%, McCain 40.2%, Ron Paul 4.2%, Barr 1.0%, Nader .7%, undecided 9.5%. See here for more details.

NAACP Sues Pennsylvania Over Vote-Counting Machines

Posted on by October 23, 2008
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On October 23, the NAACP filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, asking that the Secretary of State direct the counties to supply emergency paper ballots if half or more of the electronic vote-counting machines fail to work. The Secretary of State has said previously that counties should only supply emergency paper ballots if all the machines in a particular precinct fail to work. The case is National Association of Colored People v Cortes, no. 08-5048, in federal court in Philadelphia. The lawsuit also asks that a sufficient supply of emergency paper ballots be printed and on hand. Here is the complaint. And here is the 37-page Memo. Thanks to Danielle Ivory for this news.