The Green Party of Oregon (whose name is the Pacific Green Party) has nominated Walt Brown as its nominee for Attorney General. Brown was the Socialist Party presidential candidate in 2004. Also he is a former Democratic State Senator from Oregon.
On August 28, Allan Stevo asked the 7th circuit to hear his appeal. He is an independent candidate for U.S. House. A U.S. District Court had upheld the law he had challenged, requiring him to get 5% of the last vote cast on his petition (approximately 10,000 signatures) even though state law would only have required exactly 5,000 signatures if he had been running in 2002 or 2012. The case is Stevo v Keith.
On August 27, 2008, the Democratic Party became the first major party to nominate a black presidential candidate. August 27, 2008 was also the 100th anniversary of Lyndon Johnson’s birth. As Robert A. Caro’s op-ed in the New York Times of August 28 says, Barack Obama’s nomination would not have been possible without Lyndon Johnson, who pushed Congress to create the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Caro says, “As I watch Barack Obama’s speech to the Democratic convention tonight, I will be remembering another speech…That speech was President Lyndon Johnson’s address to Congress in 1965 announcing that he was about to have introduced a voting rights act, and in some respects Mr. Obama’s candidacy is the climax – at least thus far – of a movement based not only on the sacrifices and heroism of the Rev. Dr. King and generations of black fighters for civil rights but also on the political genius of Lyndon Johnson.”
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made it possible for tens of millions of Americans to register and vote. Yes, it trampled on states’ rights; it told certain states that they could not change any election laws relating to voting and candidacy, unless the U.S. Justice Department approved those changes. But the actions of state legislatures in the deep South, constantly thinking up new barriers to voter registration as soon as old laws had been struck down, left little choice, other than a constitutional amendment federalizing election administration. The greatest achievement toward free elections taken by Congress in the 20th century (short of passing certain constitutional amendments) was passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Justice Department has consistently interpreted the Voting Rights Act to not apply to state laws that disenfranchise minor party and independent voters. Congress needs to pass a new Voting Rights Act.
On August 27, 2008, the Democratic Party became the first major party to nominate a black presidential candidate. August 27, 2008 was also the 100th anniversary of Lyndon Johnson’s birth. As Robert A. Caro’s op-ed in the New York Times of August 28 says, Barack Obama’s nomination would not have been possible without Lyndon Johnson, who pushed Congress to create the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Caro says, “As I watch Barack Obama’s speech to the Democratic convention tonight, I will be remembering another speech…That speech was President Lyndon Johnson’s address to Congress in 1965 announcing that he was about to have introduced a voting rights act, and in some respects Mr. Obama’s candidacy is the climax – at least thus far – of a movement based not only on the sacrifices and heroism of the Rev. Dr. King and generations of black fighters for civil rights but also on the political genius of Lyndon Johnson.”
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made it possible for tens of millions of Americans to register and vote. Yes, it trampled on states’ rights; it told certain states that they could not change any election laws relating to voting and candidacy, unless the U.S. Justice Department approved those changes. But the actions of state legislatures in the deep South, constantly thinking up new barriers to voter registration as soon as old laws had been struck down, left little choice, other than a constitutional amendment federalizing election administration. The greatest achievement toward free elections taken by Congress in the 20th century (short of passing certain constitutional amendments) was passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Justice Department has consistently interpreted the Voting Rights Act to not apply to state laws that disenfranchise minor party and independent voters. Congress needs to pass a new Voting Rights Act.
On August 5, 2008, Howard Lydick died. He had been nominated for vice-president at the 2007 Prohibition Party national convention held by the Earl Dodge faction of that party. Lydick lived in Richardson, Texas, and had also been the 2004 vice-presidential nominee of the Earl Dodge faction of the Prohibition Party.
Earl Dodge, the presidential candidate of his faction of the Prohibition Party for 2008, had also died, in November 2007. After Dodge died, Lydick had quietly worked to heal the breach between the two factions of the Prohibition Party. His death in August 2008 was not a complete surprise, since he had been seriously ill for several weeks before his death.
