On October 16, the Vermont Green Party submitted its final brief in the case to get Cynthia McKinney on the Vermont ballot. On October 17, the Vermont Attorney General notified the court that the state will not submit any response. A decision is likely on Monday, October 20.

On October 17, the Connecticut Libertarian Party submitted the final evidence in its ballot access lawsuit. The judge had already received a list of signatures deemed invalid by the town clerks, but which actually seem to be valid. But the judge wanted to see all the signatures. That meant the party needed to photocopy 2,000 two-sided pieces of paper, with one copy for the state and the other for the court. That voluminous evidence has now been submitted.

Although the Libertarian Party also has lawsuits relating to presidential ballot access pending in Maine and Oklahoma, they will not be decided until after the election. Also, the New Hampshire Libertarian lawsuit, arguing that the state is constitutionally required to permit substitution, will not be heard until after the election.

On October 17, “ThirdPartyTicket” sent this press release, clarifying the status of both proposed minor party/independent presidential debates, the live debate and the internet debate.

On October 16, Cicero Booker, candidate for Connecticut State Senate, 15th district, received $85,000 from the Connecticut state office that administers the public funding program. He is a member of the Independent Party, and is also the nominee of the Working Families Party. Connecticut permits fusion. Booker’s only opponent is Democrat Senator Joan Hartley, who has been in the legislature for 18 years.

In order to receive full public funding, Booker had to collect signatures from 20% of the last vote cast inside his State Senate district. That was 2,702 signatures. He managed this feat in four weeks by hiring paid circulators who were willing to work for a relatively low rate of pay. The Connecticut law did not permit Booker to spend more than $5,000 in the period before he qualified for Public Funding. Booker also had to obtain contributions of $15,000. Amounts over $100 did not count. Booker’s Democratic opponent also had to raise $15,000, but she didn’t need to collect any signatures in order to qualify for full public funding. The Connecticut law requires signatures in order to qualify for full public funding, if the candidate is not a nominee of a party that had polled 20% in the last election. The Independent Party polled 11.8% for State Senate in the 15th district in the last election.

The Independent Party was founded in 2002 just as a party within Waterbury, but it has expanded statewide. This year, it did its first statewide ballot access petition, to put its presidential nominee, Ralph Nader, on the Connecticut ballot. Here is an article from the New Haven Advocate of October 16 about the public funding law and its discriminatory effects.