Constitution Party Gives Up on Wyoming Party Petition, Will Do Independent Petition Instead

Posted on by May 20, 2008
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Wyoming requires a petition of 2% of the last US House vote, for a new party to get on the ballot. The Constitution Party has never completed this petition, but it had hoped to do so this year. However, the deadline is June 1, and the party is far from having the needed 3,868 valid signatures. Wyoming has the smallest population of any state. No group has done the party petition since 2000.

The Libertarian Party last did the party petition in Wyoming in 1994, and ever since then has always polled enough votes to remain on automatically. The Green Party has never been on the Wyoming ballot, nor has any Green ever qualified in Wyoming as an independent, for president or any partisan office.

The Constitution Party expects to complete the independent candidate petition for its presidential candidate, Chuck Baldwin. It requires just as many signatures, but is not due until August 25.

New Mexico Secretary of State Still Checking Constitution Party Petition

Posted on by May 19, 2008
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Even though it has been 48 days since the New Mexico Constitution Party submitted its ballot access petition, the New Mexico Secretary of State is still checking the validity of that petition. The job should be done by May 23. The requirement is 2,794 signatures.

New Mexico does not have the statewide initiative process. States that do have initiatives are usually good at checking signatures rapidly.

Kansas Presidential Primary Bill Vetoed

Posted on by May 19, 2008
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On May 19, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius vetoed HB 2019, which would have provided for a Kansas presidential primary, starting in 2012. This year, Kansas was one of only 10 states with no presidential primary.

The bill said that the presidential primary should be the first Saturday in February. In 2012, the first Saturday in February is February 4. The major parties don’t allow presidential primaries before the first Tuesday in February (except that the Democratic Party gives special rights to four particular states). In 2012, the first Tuesday in February is February 7, so the Kansas primary would have been in violation of the rules of both major parties.

HB 2019 also provides that voters at the polls must show a government photo-Id. The Governor’s message said she is vetoing the bill because of that part of the bill. The Governor praised the part of the bill establishing a presidential primary, and implied she would have signed the bill if it had not had any provisions about photo voter-ID. The Governor did not acknowledge that the primary date would have violated national major party rules.

Party for Socialism and Liberation Hopes to Qualify Presidential Candidate in 16 States

Posted on by May 19, 2008
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The Party for Socialism and Liberation hopes to qualify its presidential candidate, Gloria La Riva, in 15 or 16 states. If the party qualifies for the ballot in 15 states, that would be the highest number of states that any socialist party has qualified in, for president, since 1988. In 1988, the Socialist Workers Party placed its presidential candidate on the ballot in 15 states plus D.C.

Generally, the party name on ballots will be “Socialism and Liberation”. The 15 states the party hopes to qualify in are Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. All these states will print the party label on the ballot except for Mississippi and Tennessee, which will just print “independent”.

The party also hopes that its presidential candidate will win the nomination of the Peace & Freedom Party in California.