Last week, the Alaska Democratic Party decided to hold its presidential caucuses in 2008 on February 5. A few days later, the Alaska Republican Party also chose February 5. The parties announced this news on May 30. The local caucuses on February 5 will select delegates to a state convention. The state conventions of each major party will then choose the national delegates. The Democratic state convention will be May 23-25 and the Republican state convention will be March 13-15.

In the past, Alaska Republicans have held their local presidential caucuses in May, and Alaska Democrats have held theirs in March.

On May 24, the city council of Cary, North Carolina, voted 4-3 to use Instant-Runoff Voting for its city council elections on October 9. Four seats are up, two district and two at-large.

Cary’s official slogan is “The Technology Town of North Carolina.” It is near Raleigh. The town is responding to a bill passed last year that permits any ten cities or counties use IRV to elect their own officials. Cary expects to save $62,000, since it will not need to hold an old-fashioned run-off in November 2007.

On May 25, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney participated in a 23-minute interview on Radio Station WBAI. The hosts asked her about the possibility that she may seek the Green Party presidential nomination in 2008. She said, “With the failure of the Democratic Congress to repeal the Patriot Act, the Secret Evidence Act, the Military Tribunals Act, I have to seriously question my relationship with the Democratic Party. The idea has not been ruled out. All the current Democrats running for president support the principle of potential military action against Iran; none of them is for impeachment of the President. They can’t speak for me. I am open to a lot of ideas in 2008.” Thanks to Darcy Richardson for this news.