On August 6, Ralph Nader submitted his Iowa petition. Instead of just qualifying as an independent candidate, in Iowa he qualified using the ballot label “Peace and Freedom.” This means that if he gets 2% or more of the vote, the Peace and Freedom Party will become a ballot-qualified party in Iowa. Currently the only qualified parties in Iowa and the Democratic and Republican Parties. Nader did poll over 2% in Iowa in 2000 under the “Green” label, and therefore the Green Party was ballot-qualified in Iowa for the 2002 election. However, since it didn’t poll as much as 2% for Governor in 2002, its qualified status only last two years.

The 9th circuit has now received briefs from all sides in the ongoing lawsuit over the “top-two” election system. The Democratic Party of Washington, the Republican Party of Washington, the Libertarian Party of Washington, the Secretary of State, and the Grange, have all expressed themselves. No one expects the 9th circuit to stop the Washington state primary, which is set to be held in two weeks. Probably a decision will be in 2009.

On August 1, the Ohio Solicitor General asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its appeal in Ohio v Citizens for Tax Reform. The 6th circuit had invalidated an Ohio law that makes it illegal for initiative proponents to pay circulators on a per signature basis. The evidence in that case is strong that such laws make it considerably more expensive to qualify initiatives. The U.S. Supreme Court case number is not yet known. Thanks to David Langdon for this news.