On July 17, the city council of Aspen, Colorado, voted to let voters decide this November if they wish to use Instant-Runoff Voting for city council elections.
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The 9th circuit is likely to hear Nader v Brewer in October 2007. This is the case over whether Arizona’s early June petition deadline is too early for independent presidential candidates, and whether it is unconstitutional for a state to ban out-of-state petitioners for independent presidential candidates.
Other 2004 Nader ballot access cases that are still pending are in Ohio (over whether the state may require circulators to be registered voters), and in Hawaii (over whether the state’s petition-checking procedures violate due process, and also over whether it is constitutional for a state to require 6 times as many signatures for an independent presidential candidate as for an entire new party).
On July 17, Georgia held a special run-off congressional election to fill the vacancy in the 10th district. Because Georgia uses the “top-two” system for special elections, and because two Republicans placed first and second last month in the first round, the July 17 run-off was between two Republicans, Jim Whitehead and Paul Broun.
With 99% of the vote counted, Broun has 23,314 votes and Whitehead has 23,120. There will be a recount. The turnout was very low; in November 2006 the vote had been Charlie Norwood (Republican) 117,721; Terry Holley (Democratic) 57,032.
Although both Whitehead and Broun are Republicans, Broun had campaigned to get Democratic and independent votes, saying that since virtually all leaders of the Republican Party supported Whitehead, that Whitehead would be a rubber stamp. Also Broun’s father had been a Democratic State Senator.
On July 17, both Gallup and Zogby released polls for the major party presidential primary contests.
Republican results: Gallup reported Giuliani 33%, Fred Thompson 21%, McCain 16%, Romney 8%, Paul 3%, Huckabee 2%, Brownback 2%, Tommy Thompson 1%, Duncan Hunter 1%, 12% other or no opinion.
Zogby reported Fred Thompson 22%, Giuliani 21%, Romney 11%, McCain 9%, Huckabee 5%, Brownback 2%, Paul 1%, Hunter 1%, other or no opinion 27%.
Democratic results: Gallup reported Clinton 40%, Obama 28%, Edwards 13%, Richardson 5%, Biden 3%, Kucinich 1%, Dodd 1%, other or no opinion 8%.
Zogby reported Clinton 37%, Obama 25%, Edwards 11%, Richardson 3%, Kucinich 2%, Biden 1%, other or no opinion 20%.
Utah is one of 13 states in which the state income tax lists political parties, and asks taxpayers if they wish some small amount of money to be sent to any particular party. Utah taxpayers are typically sympathetic to minor parties when they fill out their income tax forms. Last year, 10.5% of the money went to one of the 4 qualified minor parties that were listed.
Tax forms for 2007 will list only the Democratic, Republican and Constitution Parties. This is because none of the other parties that were listed in the past polled enough votes to remain on (in the November 2006 election), and furthermore none of them re-qualified in time to be on next year’s forms. The Libertarian Party had been trying to collect the needed 2,000 valid signatures before July 1, and is 80% done, but did not finish in time (there is still plenty of time for the Libertarian Party, and for other parties, to qualify for the 2008 ballot).
If all the money that went to the various minor parties in 2006 goes to the Constitution Party on this year’s tax forms (which are due next April), the Constitution Party will receive more than $13,000.