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.

A U.S. District Court in Detroit, Michigan will hear Green Party of Michigan v Land, at 2 pm, on Wednesday, March 26. This is the case that challenges a Michigan law that the list of presidential primary voters should be given to the Democratic and Republican Parties, and no other parties. It is case 2:08-cv-10149 and is in courtroom 226, before Judge Nancy Edmunds, a Bush Sr. appointee.

On March 17, two bills were introduced in the Idaho Senate to revise the primary system. Idaho now uses an Open Primary, in which each voter on primary day decides in the secrecy of the voting booth which party primary to vote in.

S. 1506 would provide for registration by party, and also would legalize nominating conventions for parties that would rather use conventions than primaries (Idaho already has conventions for new parties).

S. 1507 would authorize closed primaries. Neither bill has made any headway as of March 25.