On December 12, the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office indicated that the Libertarian Party petition to be on the 2008 ballot has enough valid signatures. 7,000 were needed and the party submitted 8,500.

Also on December 12, the Maryland State Board of Elections said that the Green Party petition to be on the 2008 and 2010 ballots has enough signatures.

The Maryland Libertarian Party expects to turn in its petition by December 28.

The North Dakota Secretary of State’s office will be checking the 2008 Constitution Party petition during the week of December 18-22.

On December 9, the Democratic Party of West Virginia changed its rules to permit independent voters to vote in the Democratic primary. West Virginia Republicans have been permitting such participation for some years.

On December 12, the state chair of the New York Independence Party, Frank McKay, dropped his appeal of the intra-party dispute over the identity of the true officers of the Staten Island party. This means that the Staten Island party officers are now undisputed. They are allies of Lenora Fulani.

In recent months, McKay legal efforts to wrest control of the Brooklyn and Queens parties have also failed, although appeals are still pending. Manhatten’s party is also controlled by Fulani allies, and Manhatten is not contested.

Fulani allies also won a court battle over the Westchester County party, on November 29, 2006. Lehrer v Cavallo, 18071-06. The court found that the county organizing meeting held in September by McKay forces was fundamentally unfair, and ordered that a new meeting be held in the next few weeks.

Even if Fulani allies win complete control of the New York city branches of the party, which seems likely, the New York city branches only hold 25% of the voting power on the party’s state committee. The state committee holds the power to nominate candidates for statewide office (this power can be overturned by a primary only with a petition signed by 15,000 party members, something that is very difficult to achieve).