On September 18, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer spoke at a voter registration rally in Bozeman, on the campus of Montana State University. He said, “Everyone, please vote. This is a marketplace of ideas, whether you vote for John McCain, or whether you vote for Ron Paul, or whether you vote for Barack Obama!”. Ron Paul is indeed on the ballot in Montana, as the Constitution Party nominee. Governor Schweitzer, a Democrat, did not mention that Ralph Nader and Bob Barr are also on the Montana ballot.

Utah is one of the 12 states that lets state income taxpayers choose to assist a particular political party, by checking a box on the state income tax form. The Utah Constitution Party was the only third party on the 2007 income tax form, because it was the only third party that had polled enough votes in 2006 to be on the ballot automatically in 2008. Other parties could have been listed on the 2007 income tax form if they had been quick to re-qualify, but the Libertarian Party didn’t finish its petition in time to be on the income tax form, and the Green Party, and the Personal Choice Party, didn’t do the party petition for 2008 at all.

The Constitution Party received $3,685 in tax returns that have arrived this year so far (in other words, 3,685 taxpayers checked the box for the Constitution Party). By contrast, on the income tax forms that arrived at the equivalent month in 2007, the Constitution Party received $2,740. So, being the only minor party on the form was somewhat helpful to the Constitution Party, but not as much as one might have expected. The Personal Choice Party had received $6,042 on tax returns that arrived in 2007, even though it had been one of six parties on the form.

The October 1 Ballot Access News (paper edition) will have this year’s data for all political parties, for all states that have a tax check-off for political parties.