The world has always learned from America’s example. These days we are not setting a very good one.

Now Putin is learning from the US! The Kremlin has announced a new crackdown on small parties. Currently, parties must get 100 people to sign up as members in each of half of Russia’s 89 regions. Under the new proposal, parties will be required to sign up 250 members in every single region, and 500 members in each of half the regions. In addition, they will be required to sign up 50,000 members nationwide.

This is another of Putin’s new anti-Democratic moves, following his moves to make Governors and Judges appointed instead of elected.

~ Eric Garris, Ballot Access News Webmaster

On October 15, all briefs were filed in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Nader’s ballot access case, and likewise all briefs were filed in his ballot access case in the Ohio Supreme Court.

Nader is still waiting for a decision from the 9th circuit in his Arizona case. All the briefs were in as of October 13.

Today a federal circuit court judge refused to consider placing Ralph Nader and Michael Peroutka on the Hawaii ballot, saying it would be too expensive to order the state to reprint the ballots. Nader and Peroutka are pursuing their case in Hawaii state court.