All the briefs are now before the U.S. District Court in Arkansas, in Green Party of Arkansas v Daniels, 4:06-cv-758. The hearing is August 17. The issue is the number of signatures needed for a new party.
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The Natural Law Party was organized in the United States in 1992, and it ceased to exist as a national organization in 2004. All of its state units will be dropping off the ballot in November 2006, except for the Michigan unit. The Michigan branch of the party is the only one in the nation running any candidates. Because the Michigan procedures for parties to remain on the ballot are quite lenient, it is overwhelmingly likely that the Michigan Natural Law Party will still be ballot-qualified in 2008.
Oregon State Senator Ben Westlund, an independent candidate for Governor, withdrew on August 10. He said polls have never shown him with more than 14%. Since he had been running to win, and since victory seemed impossible to him, he is withdrawing so as not to injure the Democratic nominee. Westlund is a registered independent, but he was elected to the State Senate as a Republican. However, he is in closer agreement with the Democratic incumbent on the issue of state spending levels.
A Rasmussen Poll announced on August 9 shows these Texas gubernatorial results: Republican 35%, Democratic 18%, independent Kinky Friedman 18%, independent Carole Strayhorn 18%, other and undecided 11%. “Other” in this case is the Libertarian Party nominee, the 5th name on the ballot who has not been included by name by polling companies.
Massachusetts has four initiatives on its November 2006 ballot. The one that would legalize fusion, and also make it easier for a party to remain on the ballot, will be “Question Two”. The initiative would make it easier for a party to stay on the ballot by changing the definition of “party”. The existing definition requires a party to poll 3% of the vote for one statewide race, every two years (it is also a party if it has registration membership of 1% of the state total). The initiative would alter the definition of “party”, so that it is a group that got 3% for a statewide race at either of the last two elections.
If that proposed change had been in effect in 2004, the Green and Libertarian Parties would still be qualified in Massachusetts. In 2004, president was the only statewide office up in Massachusetts, and neither party could poll 3% for president. However, those two parties in recent years always poll 3% for U.S. Senate; it was just bad luck that there was no U.S. Senate race on the ballot in 2004.
The Working Families Party (indirectly) is the force behind the Massachusetts initiative. The only two unqualified parties on the ballot this year in Massachusetts are the Green and Working Families Parties, and it is likely they will both poll 3% for some statewide race, and be qualified for 2008. If the initiative passes, they would also then be qualified for 2010.