Illlinois Bill Signed into Law, Moving Primary and Saving the Republicans

Posted on by June 20, 2007
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On June 20, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed HB 426 into law. It moves the primary (for all office) from March to February. It also moves the deadline for a qualified party to notify the state of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates from late August to September 5. This is to accomodate the Republican Party’s unprecedently late national convention. The party won’t choose its ticket formally until September 3 or September 4, 2008.

Illinois will be the first state in U.S. history in which major parties will nominate their candidates for Congress in February of an election year. No state has ever before held a congressional primary (for regularly-scheduled elections) earlier than March.

South Carolina Government Will Pay for 2008 Presidential Primaries

Posted on by June 20, 2007
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South Carolina S99 has become law, over Governor Mark Sanford’s veto. The bill provides that political parties that polled 5% or more of the vote for president in the last election may have presidential primaries paid for by state government. The old law required all parties to administer and pay for their own presidential primaries, although they had always been entitled to use government buildings rent-free as polling places.

The major parties had been paying for their presidential primaries by charging presidential candidates a very large fee; for example, the Republican Party was charging $25,000. The new law says that the State Board of Elections will set the fee, but the State Board cannot exceed $20,000. The money will go to the government, not the parties. Parties will still set the date of their own presidential primaries. Thanks to Scott West for this news.

Libertarian Polls 1.34% in Georgia Congresional Election

Posted on by June 20, 2007
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On June 19, Georgia held a special election in the 9th U.S. House district to fill a vacancy. Georgia special elections do not feature party nominees; instead any individual who wishes to run, pays a filing fee to get on the ballot. Six Republicans, 3 Democrats, and a Libertarian were on the ballot. The Libertarian, Jim Sendelbach, received 1.34% of the vote, placing 8th in the 10-candidate field.

The six Republicans combined received 70.3% of the vote; the three Democrats combined received 28.3% of the vote. In November 2006, the Republican nominee, Charlie Norwood, had defeated his Democratic opponent by 74.3% to 25.7%.

There will be a run-off on July 17 in the Georgia special election. It will probably be between two Republicans, Jim Whitehead and Paul Broun, since no one got a majority and since those two placed first and second. However, the results show only a 200 vote difference between the 2nd-place finisher and the 3rd-place finisher, Democrat James Marlow. Since the results aren’t final yet, it is conceivable the run-off could be between Whitehead and Marlow.

Georgia special congressional elections have always been open to anyone, without the need for a petition. In the past, though, no party labels were permitted. The last time any minor party members were on the ballot in a Georgia special election was 1983, when a Socialist Worker, Sara Jean Johnston, polled .07% of the votes; and a Prohibitionist, Marshall Uncapher, polled .04%. It is always difficult for a minor party member to poll a large vote when there are ten or more candidates running.

Both Sides in Mississippi Lawsuit Ask for Clarification

Posted on by June 19, 2007
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Last week, a U.S. District Court Judge in Mississippi ruled that if the Democratic Party doesn’t want an open primary, it has a right to a closed primary. His opinion puzzled and surprised everyone when it also said that when the state holds a closed primary for the Democratic Party, it must require voters at that primary to show photo-ID.

The Democratic Party, which brought the lawsuit, filed a request for reconsideration on that point. And the state has also said it will ask the judge to explain further. No one involved in the lawsuit had expected anything whatsoever about photo-ID at the polls.

The Democratic Party’s request for reconsideration also asks that the closed primary start in August 2007, not in April 2008. Mississippi holds primaries in August 2007 for all state office. Thanks to Steve Rankin for this news.