After years of evidence-gathering in the lawsuit against the Post Office regulation against petitioning on interior post office sidewalks, the final briefs are about to be filed. The first round is due April 15, the second round on April 30, and the final round on May 15. The case is called Initiative & Referendum Institute v U.S. Postal Service, and is pending in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia. The case was filed in 2000.
On April 10, Missouri SB 797 passed the House Elections Committee unanimously. Now it goes to the House Rules Committee. It has already passed the Senate. This is the only bill in any state legislature in the United States, that improves ballot access for minor parties and independent candidates, that has made any progress in 2008.
On March 25, Alabama Representative Cam Ward introduced HB 738. It lowers the non-presidential independent petition from 3% of the last gubernatorial vote, to 1.5% of the last gubernatorial vote cast. The presidential independent petition (a flat 5,000 signatures) would not be affected by the bill. Representative Ward is a Republican representing Bibb and Shelby Counties.
Alabama has the nation’s highest petition requirement for non-presidential statewide independent candidates in the nation. It is the only state above 2% of the last vote cast, for non-presidential statewide independents. Thanks to Mike Rster for this news.
On April 10, Chuck Baldwin said he will seek the presidential nomination of the Constitution Party. He lives in Florida and was the party’s vice-presidential nominee in 2004. The Constitution Party national convention is April 23-26.
2008 is a historic year for suspenseful national conventions. As of today, no one knows for sure who will be nominated for president by the Democratic Party, the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, and the Constitution Party.
On April 9, U.S. District Court Judge Stefan Underhill held a scheduling hearing in Green Party of Connecticut v Garfield. This is the case against the parts of the Connecticut public funding law that discriminates against independent candidates and new and minor parties. The Judge indicated that there is no need for a trial. Instead, the case will proceed with briefs and affidavits. The Green Party’s brief for summary judgment will be filed in mid-May. The Judge indicated that he is likely to hold the law unconstitutional, but that he would stay his own ruling, so that the program will be used in this year’s election.
