U.S. Senator Bill Nelson Calls for Election Reforms

Posted on by March 27, 2008
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On March 27, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) addressed the Florida State Senate. He chose to use his speech to advocate for several election law changes. Concerning the presidential primary process, he proposed a national agreement for rotating regional primaries. He also again advocated that the Democratic National Committee agree to seat half of Florida’s delegation.

Concerning the electoral college, he seemed to endorse the National Popular Vote Plan for ending the possibility that the person who places 2nd in the national popular vote could still be declared the winner.

He also advocated no-excuse absentee voting, mail voting, and experimentation with internet voting.

Missouri Bill to Impose March Petition Deadline on Independent Candidates Has Senate Hearing March 31

Posted on by March 27, 2008
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The Missouri Senate Committee on Finance, Governmental Organization & Elections, will hold a hearing on HB 1310 on Monday, March 31. HB 1310 moves the independent candidate petition deadline for all office from late July to March. The bill has already passed the House.

The staff of the Senate Committee knows that in 1976, a 3-judge U.S. District Court in Missouri ruled that state’s old April petition deadline unconstitutional. The staff also knows that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Anderson v Celebrezze in 1983 that March 20 is too early for independent presidential petition deadlines. Nevertheless, anyone reading this who can attend the hearing, should do so, to testify against the bill.

Popular Vote for Dem, Rep Presidential Primary Candidates

Posted on by March 26, 2008
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29 states and the District of Columbia have held presidential primaries so far this year. From official sources, these are the national totals (this just includes primaries, not caucuses):

Democrats: Hillary Clinton 13,920,268; Barack Obama 13,855,412; John Edwards 957,712; Bill Richardson 104,303; Dennis Kucinich 102,241; Joe Biden 81,091; Chris Dodd 35,092; Mike Gravel 23,872; other 640,198. The bulk of the “other” is the uncommitted slate in Michigan. The vote for that was huge, since Barack Obama and John Edwards weren’t on the Michigan Democratic ballot.

Republicans: John McCain 7,613,865; Mitt Romney 4,487,320; Mike Huckabee 3,955,006; Ron Paul 803,825; Rudy Giuliani 584,626; Fred Thompson 272,583; Alan Keyes 40,855; Duncan Hunter 37,580; other 69,137.

New Jersey Adds Conservative Party to Voter Registration Form

Posted on by March 26, 2008
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In 2001, a New Jersey State Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for the state to let voters register as members of the qualified parties, but not to let them register into unqualified parties that regularly place candidates on the ballot.

As a result of that lawsuit, New Jersey added the five parties that brought that lawsuit to the voter registration form. They were the Libertarian, Green, Constitution, Natural Law, and Reform Parties.

In 2006 the Conservative Party of New Jersey sued to also get on the voter registration form. The state did not contest the lawsuit, and finally this month added that party to the form.

If the state were rational, it would either pass a law, or some regulations, setting forth objective criteria for a party to be placed on the form. However, seven years after the initial court decision, New Jersey still has no such law or regulations. This leaves the state open to future potential lawsuits by parties such as the Socialist Party, which also regularly place nominees on the ballot.

The Conservative Party of New Jersey holds its statewide convention on April 5 in Manalapan (in Monmouth County), and expects to nominate some candidates for Congress and perhaps local partisan office.

Michigan Minor Parties Win Federal Lawsuit on Access to Voter List

Posted on by March 26, 2008
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On March 26, the Michigan Green, Libertarian and Reform Parties won their lawsuit against a state law that controls distribution of the list of presidential primary voters. The case is Green Party of Michigan v Land, no. 2:08-cv-10149. The law says the list of voters who vote in the Republican presidential primary and the Democratic presidential primary should be given to both those parties, but no one else. Here is the decision.

Back in 1970, the U.S. Supreme Court had summarily affirmed a 3-judge U.S. District Court ruling from New York that said much the same thing. It was called Socialist Workers Party v Rockefeller, and it said if a state gives the list of registered voters to the qualified parties, it must also give it to the unqualified parties that are trying to get on the ballot.