On April 8, the Missouri Constitution Party submitted its petition for ballot status. The law requires 10,000 valid signatures. The party actually finished this petition months ago. However, a badly drafted law requires the party to have chosen its candidates no later than the day it submits its petition. The party has been recruiting candidates for Congress and state legislature for the last several months.

The Arizona Green Party petition has now been checked by the various county elections officials, and the county totals reveal that the party has more than enough valid signatures. The news won’t be official until the Secretary of State adds up the county totals; the official announcement is likely on Friday. This is the first time a new party petition has succeeded in Arizona since 2000. It is also the third time the Green Party has qualified as a party in that state. The other times were in 1992 and 2000.

If the Green Party can boost its registration up to two-thirds of 1% of the state total (approximately 14,500 members) by November 2009, then it can remain on the ballot. The Arizona Libertarian Party has its registration up that far, and that is why it has been on the ballot continuously since 1992.