On July 21, the Socialist Party USA filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Ohio, seeking to be recognized as a qualified party. The party’s presidential candidate already had a lawsuit pending against Ohio on the question of whether an independent petition may be circulated by out-of-state voters. That case is Moore v Brunner, 2:08-cv-224. The Socialist Party did not file a new case, but amended the original Moore complaint. It seems likely this latest aspect of the case will be before Judge Sargus, the same judge who ruled that Ohio must recognize the Libertarian Party of Ohio. Briefs are due August 1. There is no assurance that the judge will let the original Moore complaint be amended.

Barack Obama, like all Democratic presidential candidates in recent years, is happy to accept the Working Families Party nomination in New York state, and to be listed on the New York ballot on two lines. However, his campaign has not secured the necessary paperwork to allow the same thing to happen in Connecticut. In Connecticut, the Working Families Party would be allowed to cross-endorse him, but only if it submits a petition signed by 7,500 valid names. That petition is due in little over two weeks. So although the Connecticut Working Families will almost certainly be on the ballot for all U.S. House races in the state (cross-endorsing each Democratic nominee for U.S. House), it is unlikely to be on for president.

The Green Party is working again on its statewide presidential petition. The party got a boost from the national convention last weekend, and another boost when Cynthia McKinney visited Pennsylvania on Sunday, July 20. The requirement is 24,666. The party had stopped collecting earlier this month, but has started, and now has approximately 10,000.

Chances are that if the party submits barely more than the legal requirement, its petition will not be challenged. No statewide minor party or independent petition had been challenged in Pennsylvania in all the years after 1938, until 2004, when Nader was challenged. Then, in 2006, the Green Party was challenged. However, the legal mess engendered by those two challenges is still in the news and the courts. It seems likely that the old tradition that Pennsylvania statewide minor party and independent candidate petitions are not challenenged will reassert itself this year. Furthermore, it would make little sense for Democrats to challenge Cynthia McKinney, if Nader has a challenge-proof petition in Pennsylvania anyway.