New Mexico holds a Republican presidential primary on June 3, although no other party will have a New Mexico presidential primary. Names on the Republican ballot are Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Ron Paul.
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The Republican National Committee’s Rules Committee is meeting April 1-4 near Albuquerque, New Mexico. On the agenda is a determination to work out a recommended plan for presidential primary schedules in 2012. The Republican Party can only change its rules at its national convention. The Rules Committee, therefore, hopes to come up with a plan that the national convention can approve, when it meets September 1-4 in Minnesota.
The Rules Committee is considering five various plans. Some of them organize the nation by region and allow for a lottery to determine which region goes first. Another plan groups the states by population, and provides that the smallest states go first, and the largest states last. Most of the plans allow New Hampshire and South Carolina the right to go ahead of all other states.
South Dakota holds its presidential primaries on June 3. Since the Constitution Party will have nominated a president by then, it decided not to have its own presidential primary in South Dakota.
The Democratic ballot will only list Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. But the Republican ballot will list Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, and Mitt Romney.
On April 1, the Alaskan Independence Party state officers decided that the party will again nominate the Constitution Party’s presidential nominee. The Alaskan Independence Party also followed that policy in 2004.
This gives the Constitution Party ballot access for president in 19 states currently. Four years ago at this point in the cycle, it was only on in 16 states.
West Virginia holds its primary elections on May 13, for president and all other partisan office. This year, for the first time, West Virginia independents can choose to vote in either the Democratic Party primary, or the Republican Party primary. However, polling place officials may not tell independents that they have this choice. Nor will there be any signs at polling places telling independents that they have that choice.
The Mountain Party is also a ballot-qualified party, but it nominates by convention, not primary.