On August 25, the Montana Republican Party state central committee voted 72-14 to choose delegates to the national convention by caucus, instead of primary. The caucus date will be in early February. The June primary will still exist but will be just a “beauty contest”.
The Montana Republican caucus will only be open to party officials, which amounts to 2,800 individuals, most of whom are precinct party committeepeople.
On August 25, the Democratic National Committee Rules & Bylaws Committee voted to deprive the Florida Democratic Party of all its delegates to the national convention next year. However, if the state party agrees in the next 30 days not to choose its delegates at the January 29 presidential primary, the penalty will be revoked.
The vote was almost unanimous. Probably the Florida Democratic Party will give in and schedule caucuses in February to choose its delegates. The January presidential primary will be just a “beauty contest.”
Democratic National rules say no state may choose its delegates earlier than February 5, except for Nevada, South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa.
The national office of the Libertarian Party is providing substantial assistance to the proposed ballot access initiative in Oklahoma. Shane Cory, national director, has set up an Oklahoma tour for himself, September 3-7. He will be doing media interviews. He will also be raising funds, at a personal level and also at a public fund-raising event. Daniel Imperato will also appear at the public event, which is in Oklahoma City on September 6. Former Congressman Bob Barr, a member of the Libertarian Party National Committee, will appear in Oklahoma in October for another fund-raising event.
The national party is permitting part of its mailing list to be used for a fund-raising letter, which will be in the mail by the end of August.
The initiative needs almost 75,000 valid signatures, to be gathered in a 3-month window, which will probably be part of September, all of October and November, and part of December. Oklahoma law requires that all signatures be gathered within 90 days.
Existing Oklahoma ballot access law requires that new and previously unqualified parties submit 46,324 valid signatures, to appear on the November 2008 ballot. Independent presidential candidates need 43,913 valid signatures. If a party gets on the ballot, it must poll 10% for president to avoid being removed from the ballot. When a party is removed from the ballot, all its registered members are forcibly converted to independent status, although the party then has an opportunity to have them re-register back into the party; however, after 4 years, they are all again forcibly converted back to independents, unless the party has re-qualified. The proposed initiative would change the petition to get on the ballot to 5,000 signatures, and the vote test to remain on to 1% for any statewide office at either of the last two elections.
Aaron Russo died on August 24, of cancer. He came quite close to being the Libertarian Party nominee for president in 2004. Thanks to ThirdPartyWatch for this news.
Indiana elects local judges on a partisan basis. A Libertarian Party nominee, Susan Bell, was elected Town Judge of Hagerstown, Indiana, in 2003. She is running for re-election this November. No Democrat or Republican filed to run against her, nor did anyone else, so barring a write-in campaign against her, she will be re-elected unanimously.
