On September 12, a New Hampshire House subcommittee heard testimony on HB 48, a bill to ease the definition of “political party.” After hearing from five witnesses, the subcommittee decided the ballot access issue is important enough to schedule another hearing. That hearing will be on September 20, and is likely to come up with a final version of the bill.

Key facts brought out in the hearing were: (1) New Hampshire was one of only four states in November 2006 in which, for all statewide offices, only Democrats and Republicans were on the ballot; (2) In November 2004, only one state (Oklahoma) had fewer choices on its presidential ballot than New Hampshire did; (3) New Hampshire is one of only four states in which, continuously for the past ten years, only the Democratic and Republican Parties have been qualified.

Cynthia McKinney has informed the Green Party that she has decided not to seek their Presidential nomination.

In a letter delivered to the Green Party national steering committee:

To: Steering Committee of the
Green Party of the United States

Fm: Cynthia McKinney, Georgia

Date: September 10th, 2007

As I’m sure you know, I have been approached by many within the Green Party over the preceeding year who have asked that I consider seeking the nomination of the Green Party of the United States as its candidate for President of the United States. In 2003 I was similiarly approached about my potential interest in the 2004 race.

I have seriously weighed the options, travelled extensively holding first private, then more public events with Greens over the preceding year, exploring such a possibility with Greens in at least a dozen state parties, meeting with the chair of your Presidential Campaign Support Committee, with the members of your Steering Committee and speaking at, and entertaining questions from the Party’s Annual Meeting in Reading Pennsylvania this past July. Since the Reading meeting, I have also begun to help Green candidates raise money for their campaigns.

For months I have answered questions about my intentions for this race in 2008 by saying that while I am not yet in, neither am I out of this race.

After careful consideration about the political conditions facing our nation, the level of development within the Party, my own readiness to take on such a daunting task and my own long postponed personal priorities, I write to inform the Party that I must at this time withdraw my name from consideration for the Party’s 2008 Presidential Nominating contest.

I remain committed to our collective work of transforming our nation and to mobilizing peace loving Americans, justice seeking activists and others disfranchised by the powers which currently control our nation toward that end.

Sincerely yours,
Cynthia McKinney

On September 10, the California Senate passed AB 1294, the bill to let any city or county use Instant-Runoff Voting for elections for its own officers. This is the first time any bill has ever passed the California legislature to expand IRV or similar alternate ideas. One Republican, State Senator Tom McClintock, voted for the bill; the other 21 votes for the bill were from Democrats.