On March 25, former Alaska U.S. Senator Mike Gravel joined the Libertarian Party. He currently lives in Virginia, which does not have registration by party. Gravel joined the party by becoming a dues-paying member. Thanks to ThirdPartyWatch for this news.
On March 25, the Constitution Party turned in 1,252 signatures for its Hawaii party petition. The requirement is 663 signatures.
The deadline is April 3.
Other parties that are circulating the party petition in Hawaii are the Green Party, and Ralph Nader’s Independent Party. The Libertarian Party does not need to petition this year in Hawaii. After a party has been on the ballot three elections in a row, it is automatically on for the next ten years. The Libertarian Party is enjoying its ten free years.
March 25 is the deadline for a new or previously unqualified party to submit its petition in South Dakota. For the first time since before 1992, the Libertarian Party failed to qualify.
The party has several options. In 1977 the 8th circuit ruled in MacBride v Exon that it would be unconstitutional for any state to require a new or previously unqualified party to submit its petition in time to participate in its own primary, if all it wants to do is list its presidential nominee with the party label on the November ballot.
South Dakota previously let independent candidates choose a partisan label, but the legislature repealed that in 2007. Therefore, if the Libertarian Party can finish its party petition and submit it somewhat later (for example, June 2008), it would stand an excellent chance of winning a lawsuit against the March 25 deadline for party petitions.
Also, the party is free to do an independent presidential petition, but that cannot start until after the party has chosen its nominee in late May, since South Dakota doesn’t permit stand-in presidential candidates on independent petitions. The independent petition requires 3,356 signatures, due in August.
The Burlington Free Press of March 25 editorializes against against SB 108, which implements Instant-Runoff Voting for both Houses of Congress. See the editorial here.
The editorial pokes fun at the bill because it only applies to congressional races. The editorial points out that it is rare for anyone to fail to get a majority for Congress in Vermont anyway. Of course, the reason the bill is limited to Congress is (1) it is easier to implement something new if it is limited; (2) changing to IRV for statewide state office would probably require changing the Vermont Constitution. The editorial doesn’t mention either of these points.
On March 20, Maine LD 1799 passed the Joint Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee. The bill legalizes fusion.
