Kansas Grants Administrative Hearing to Chuck Baldwin

Posted on by September 13, 2008
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Kansas elections officials will hold an administrative hearing on Monday morning, September 15, at 8:30 a.m., on whether to list Chuck Baldwin or Ted Weill on the ballot as the Reform Party nominee.

The only presidential elector candidates submitted by the Reform Party of Kansas are unanimously pledged to Chuck Baldwin, but the Secretary of State still says he will put Ted Weill on the ballot (with no electors pledged to Weill), unless the Administrative Hearing changes his mind.

Kansas precedent says the state parties choose the presidential candidate, not any national convention. That precedent was set in 1980, when the national convention of the American Party, held in Pasadena, California in December 1979, nominated Percy Greaves for president. The Kansas American Party was ballot-qualified. The Kansas American Party did not support Greaves, and nominated Frank Shelton, of Kansas. The Secretary of State in 1980 duly listed Shelton on the November ballot, even though in every other state in which the American Party was on the ballot for president, Greaves was listed.

Kansas election laws relating to national conventions and presidential electors have not changed since 1980.

Peter Camejo Dies

Posted on by September 13, 2008
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On September 13, Peter Camejo died. He was 68 and had been living with cancer for several years. Peter Camejo had been the Socialist Workers presidential candidate in 1976. Some years later, he rejected doctrinaire Marxism, but always considered himself a socialist. He was the Green Party candidate for California Governor three times, and he was Ralph Nader’s running mate in 2004. Although he had been born in the United States, his parents were Venezuelan and he grew up in Venezuela. He was on the 1960 Venezuelan Olympics sailing team. He was a successful financial planner and a very good orator.

Camejo was a fierce fighter for fair election laws and practices in the United States, and his death is a painful event. See here for Ralph Nader’s statement.

Cynthia McKinney Will be on Ballot for 70.5% of Voters

Posted on by September 13, 2008
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This year, Cynthia McKinney will be on the ballot in states that cast 70.5% of the national popular vote in 2004. This is the second best ballot access showing in the party’s history. Only 2000 was better for the Green Party.

Of course, the exact state-by-state distribution of the 2008 national popular vote will be slightly different than it was in 2004. Using the 2004 vote totals is the best approximation one can make at this point.

In 2004, presidential nominee David Cobb had been on the ballot before 54.8% of the voters. In 2000, Green nominee Ralph Nader had been on before 90.5% of the voters.