Ron Paul was on the November 2008 ballot for president in Louisiana and Montana. Those two states only accounted for 1.9% of the national presidential vote this year. However, Paul received votes in those two states equal to .82% (of the total presidential vote in those two states). Consequently, he received the highest percentage of the vote (in the areas in which he was on the ballot) of any presidential candidate last month, other than Barack Obama and John McCain.

Whether Ron Paul was a “candidate” for president in November 2008 depends on the definition of “candidate”. He did not ask to be put on the ballot.

In 2004, Libertarian presidential nominee Michael Badnarik was on the ballot in states containing 98.2% of the presidential vote. In the states in which he was on the ballot, he received .330% of the total vote cast for president.

In 2008, Libertarian presidential nominee Bob Barr was on the ballot in states containing 94.8% of the presidential vote. In those states, he received .421% of the total vote cast for president.

On December 18, the 10th circuit struck down Oklahoma’s ban on out-of-state circulators for initiatives. Yes on Term Limits v Savage, no. 07-6233. The decision is here. It is 16 pages long and says that there is no strong evidence that out-of-state circulators are more likely to engage in fraud than in-state circulators. Also it says that if Oklahoma needs to question circulators after the petition has been submitted, the state is free to pass a law saying that circulators must agree to return for questioning.

There are now four circuits that have invalidated bans on out-of-state circulators (the 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th), and only one circuit, the 8th, that has upheld them. Furthermore, the 8th circuit decision was from North Dakota, a state that has no voter registration, and therefore the 8th circuit decision can be said not to apply to the other 49 states that do have voter registration.

This decision is good news for Paul Jacob and his associates, who have been in jeopardy of a criminal prosecution for conspiring to bring out-of-state circulators into Oklahoma.