Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Creates One-State Parties in Six States to Help with Ballot Access

Posted on by January 16, 2024
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Some states have irrational election laws, which require more signatures to get an independent candidate on the ballot for statewide office, than are needed for an entire new party.  These laws are irrational because the purpose of ballot access barriers is to prevent ballots from being too crowded, yet a new party can have a much greater effect on ballot size than a single independent candidate.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., like other independent presidential candidates before him, will create a one-state party in most of these states. His party will nominate him in those states as a presidential nominee, and thus he can take advantage of the easier party formation laws than the tougher independent candidate requirements.

In Texas he will create the Texas Independent Party.  In California, Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, and North Carolina, he will create the We the People Party.  See this story.

Past independent presidential candidates have also relied on one-state parties.  George Wallace in 1968 was the nominee of the Kansas Conservative Party.  John B. Anderson in 1980 relied on the Independent Party of North Carolina and the Liberal Party of New York.  Ross Perot in 1992 created the Independent Initiative Party of Oregon, and the No-Party Party in Alaska.  Ralph Nader in 2008 relied on the Peace & Freedom Party of California and others.  Evan McMullin in 2016 tried to rely on the Independent Party of Florida, but the Secretary of State invoked a dormant 2011 law to block that.

No Labels Wins Stunning Victory for Party Ability to Control its Nomination Process in Arizona

Posted on by January 16, 2024
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On January 16, U.S. District Court Judge John Tuchi, an Obama appointee, issued a ruling in No Labels Party v Fontes, 2:23cv-2172.  It says that No Labels Party has a freedom of association right to bar anyone from running in its primary for congress or partisan state or county office.

In Arizona, all qualified parties nominate by primary.  Arizona is in the Ninth Circuit, and the Ninth Circuit had ruled in an Alaska case that the Alaskan Independence Party could not prevent a particular person from running in its primary.  But Judge Tuchi distinguished that case from the current No Labels case, by saying that in the Alaska case, the state had an interest in preventing a corrupt party leadership from determining which individuals could run, which is different from an instance when a party has a blanket ban on anyone running for certain types of office.  Here is the ruling.  Thanks to Richard Grayson for this news.

Some Illinois Voters Challenge President Biden’s Primary Petition on Section Three Grounds

Posted on by January 16, 2024
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In Illinois, every presidential primary candidate needs a petition of 3,000 signatures.  President Joe Biden’s petition has been challenged on Fourteenth Amendment, section 3 grounds.  Section 3 deals not only with insurrection but with having given aid or comfort to the enemies of the United States.   Thanks to Tim Phares for the link.