Libertarian Party National Committee Will Sue to Remove Phillies From NH Ballot

Posted on by August 19, 2008
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According to Last Free Voice:

The Libertarian Party (Libertarian National Committee, Incorporated) is apparently preparing to file suit against the New Hampshire Secretary of State. The lawsuit will demand that the state place Bob Barr on the ballot, and remove George Phillies from the ballot. This suit is separate and distinct from the ACLU lawsuit in Massachusetts to substitute Bob Barr in place of George Phillies on the Massachusetts ballot.

The article claims that Phillies is not cooperating with efforts to remove him from the New Hampshire ballot, reportedly citing an ethical obligation to petition signers that placed him there.

Barr is expected to appear on the New Hampshire ballot as well, since his supporters submitted what they believe is enough signatures to qualify in the state appart from seeking to replace Phillies.

GOP Leader Seeks to Push Barr Off Pennsylvania Ballot

Posted on by August 18, 2008
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A Pennsylvania Republican Party leader has filed suit to have Libertarian Party presidential candidate removed from the state ballot.

Cumberland County GOP chairman Victor Stabile, an attorney, complained to the Commonwealth Court that Barr supporters misled people who signed their ballot petitions because they listed Rochelle Etzel of Clarion County as the presidential candidate even after the national party picked Barr at its convention in May.

Stabile acknowledged that state election laws allow such substitutions as long as they are made within the allotted time, but said he thinks this case “crosses the line.” “I don’t like to see anything taint that process,” he said.

Since state law allows from substitutions, and major parties have yet to nominate their own candidates and will be safely on the ballot, it is expected that the case will be dismissed for lacking merit.

Socialist Party Uses Obscure Method to Get on Iowa Ballot

Posted on by August 18, 2008
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This year, the Socialist Party used an almost-forgotten method for getting its presidential candidate on the Iowa ballot. Iowa gives statewide minor party and independent candidates a choice of either submitting 1,500 signatures, or attracting 250 voters to a meeting. The latter method seems difficult, and as far as is known, no one had used it since 1968, when it only required 50 attendees.

However, recently the Secretary of State ruled that the 250-person meeting requirement may be satisfied by holding a meeting at an outdoor location. The Socialist Party set up its meeting at an outdoor spot on the campus of the University of Iowa. That spot had lots of pedestrian traffic. Persons walking by were asked to sign, and that person was considered an attendee. Washington state has a similar relaxed attitude toward what constitutes a “meeting.” By contrast, Oregon has a very rigid idea about such meetings. Oregon has a 1,000-person attendence alternative for statewide independent candidates, but all 1,000 voters must be in a room simultaneously, or the meeting is invalid.

First Independent State Senate Candidate in California Since 1994

Posted on by August 18, 2008
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On August 15, Jim Fitzgerald was told that he has enough valid signatures to be on the ballot for California State Senate district 15. He needed 13,533 signatures. He is the first independent to qualify for the California State Senate since 1994. He will be the only opponent to Senator Abel Maldonado, a Republican. The district lies along the central California coast.

No independent candidate for any state’s legislature has ever overcome such a high petition requirement before (when comparing the number of signatures required, not the percentage). Fitzgerald was a registered Democrat in the past. See his webpage at www.fitzgerald4senator.com. He has worked for United Parcel Service for over 30 years, most recently as an account manager.