Every year CATO researchers determine the level of freedom in each nation, by objective criteria. Here is the newest list. It shows that the twelve freest countries, in order, are Switzerland, New Zealand, Denmark, Ireland, Estonia, Sweden, Iceland, Luxembourg, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, and Taiwan.
All twelve of these countries use proportional representation. Canada, number 13 on the list, does not use proportional representation.
This story explains the primary ballot access situation for Democratic candidates in Florida, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and North Carolina. All four state Democratic Parties have the ability to tell the state elections office whom to add to the party’s presidential primary ballot. All four state parties refuse to list anyone other than Joe Biden.
However, as the party explains, there are alternate ways to get on the ballot in Massachusetts, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Phillips is using them in Massachusetts and Tennessee, but the story does not say if he is trying to get the required 10,000 signatures in North Carolina.
The two other states in which the state party has complete control over who gets on its presidential primary ballot are Minnesota and Georgia, but those state Democratic Parties are putting Phillips on their ballots.
California’s Secretary of State has released a list of candidates who will be on the ballot for partisan office in March 2024. For U.S. Senate, seven parties have at least one member running, but the party label will not be printed on the ballot for three of them.
There are eleven Democrats, ten Republicans, one independent, and one candidate from each of these parties: American Independent, Libertarian, Socialist Workers, American Solidarity, and Constitution.
Because the last three parties are not qualified, their candidates will have the ballot label “Party preference: none.” The Socialist Workers Party candidate is Laura Garza. The American Solidarity Party candidate is Mark Ruzon. The Constitution Party candidate is Don Grundmann.
Here is the U.S. Senate candidate list.
For U.S. House, there are two Greens, two Libertarians, and three members of the Peace & Freedom Party. Here is the U.S. House list.
For State Senate, there are two minor party candidates, one Libertarian and one member of the Common Sense Party. Here is the State Senate list. The Common Sense Party candidate, Jing Chao Xiong, in the Eleventh District, will not have his party label on the ballot because the Common Sense Party is not ballot-qualified.
For Assembly, there are two Libertarians, two members of the American Independent Party, one Green, and one member of the Peace & Freedom Party. Here is the Assembly list. One of the American Independent candidates, Tami Nobriga in the 9th district, is one of only two candidates listed, so she is virtually certain to appear on the November ballot.
For Assembly, there is only one person on the ballot in these disricts: 4, 20, 22, and 45. Therefore it is plausible that a write-in candidate in the primary could also qualify for the November ballot.
On Saturday, December 23, Russia’s Central Electoral Commission ruled that Yekaterina Duntsova, an independent candidate for President of Russia, cannot run in the March 2024 election. It cited paperwork flaws. See this story. The story says that there is a possibility that someone else may yet get on the ballot to oppose incumbent Vladimir Putin.
On December 22, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed A4282B/S3505B. The identical bills move most local partisan elections from November of odd years, to November of even years. Thanks to Joe Burns for this news.
