On January 23, Libertarian Party of Tennessee v Thompson was filed. It is case 3:08cv-63 in U.S. District Court in Nashville, and was assigned by Judge William J. Haynes, a Clinton appointee.
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The Washington House Government Committee heard testimony on HB 1534, a bill to improve ballot access for minor parties and independent candidates, on January 23. Eight people testified in favor, and no one testified against. The committee seemed favorably disposed. The final bill still is being drafted.
On January 23, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court refused to re-hear the Carl Romanelli lawsuit, concerning whether the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006 is responsible for paying the court costs of the people who challenged his petition. However, since the Supreme Court’s order last year in his case had sent the case back to the lower court to re-do it, that legal fight is not over. It will probably take a year or more for the lower court to re-do its order. When that happens, the amount he owes may perhaps be substantially lower.
On January 23, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court refused to re-hear the Carl Romanelli lawsuit, concerning whether the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006 is responsible for paying the court costs of the people who challenged his petition. However, since the Supreme Court’s order last year in his case had sent the case back to the lower court to re-do it, that legal fight is not over. It will probably take a year or more for the lower court to re-do its order. When that happens, the amount he owes may perhaps be substantially lower.
Arizona election law requires parties to have registration of two-thirds of 1%, on November 1 of odd years, in order to remain on the ballot for the coming even year.
The Secretary of State of Arizona has still not posted the November 1, 2007 registration tally, and she says she won’t do it until February. Nor will she release it over the telephone. However, she has already posted the January 1, 2008 data, even though that data has no legal significance (although, of course, it is interesting).
The Libertarian Party (the only ballot-qualified party in Arizona other than the two major parties) seems to have enough registrations, based on information gathered painstakingly from the 15 county elections offices. The party’s percentage appears to be .689%, and the party’s total appears to be 18,544.
The Constitution Party of Arizona has tentatively decided not to petition for ballot status, because of a lack of funds to hire petition circulators. New parties need 20,449 valid signatures on a petition by March 6. That deadline is probably unconstitutional, should anyone challenge it. The Arizona primary (for office other than president) is in late August, so that deadline seems excessively and needlessly early.
Thanks to Michael Kielsky for obtaining the hard-to-get registration data for Maricopa County, which has over half the state population. Also thanks to the other county elections officials, who took the trouble to find this data, even though they are very busy preparing for the presidential primary on February 5.