Minneapolis voters seem to be approving using Instant-Runoff Voting by a margin greater than 60%.
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While CNN and MSNBC act as if there are only two (or one) candidates in each race, USA Today has comprehensive results for all parties in all races, including state legislature.
On their election page, they have a set of drop down menus with each state and the results, including Congress, state legislature, and initiatives.
California registration for October 23 shows 15,837,108 registered voters, which means that an independent candidate for statewide office in 2008 will need 158,372 signatures. This is a decline from the 2006 requirement of 165,573. The California independent requirement is nevertheless more than twice as many signatures as are needed in any other state.
California’s previous tally had been on September 8. Between September 8 and October 23, registration increased 1.42%. Percentage increase for each party between those two dates is: Libertarian 1.97%; American Independent 1.89%; Republican 1.46%; Democratic 1.00%; Green .98%; Peace & Freedom .47%. Independents increased 2.35%. The largest unqualified party, Reform, declined from 32,402 to 31,897. Natural Law, which is still qualified but defunct, also declined, from 22,274 to 22,231.
The December 1 print edition of Ballot Access News will have the latest registration data for all parties, for all states.
On November 5, the chair of the Republican Party of Illinois, Andy McKenna, called a press conference to denounce the Green Party’s candidate for Governor, Richard Whitney. Whitney was a member of the Socialist Labor Party from the late 1970’s until 1993, and he was editor of the party’s national monthly newspaper, The People, 1989-1993.
Although convention wisdom dictates that the presence of Green Party candidates always injures Democrats, in the Illinois gubernatorial race, it is the Republican Party that fears the presence of the Green Party ticket. Republican gubernatorial nominee Judy Baar Topinka has attacked Whitney at least twice, but Democratic incumbent Governor Rod Blagojevich has refused to comment.
Whitney said “I became disenchanted with the philosophy and left the party in 1992, a year before he moved to Illinois (he had lived in California previously)…I have not been a socialist for 14 years. When I got out of college in the 70’s, there were a lot of radical political groups around, and because of my devotion to working people, I was initially attracted to the socialist ideology.” He added that he became convinced workers need “both a healthy public sector and healthy private sector.”
The Socialist Labor Party was the original party of socialism in the United States. All other U.S. parties with “socialist” in their name can trace their roots to the Socialist Labor Party. The party last ran a presidential candidate in 1976, and last appeared on the ballot in a partisan election in 1985.
Polls released on November 5 include:
Maine (Survey USA): Democrat John Baldacci 36%, Republican Chandler Woodcock 30%, independent state legislator Barbara Merrill 21%, Green Pat LaMarche 11%, other and undecided 2%. If LaMarche does get 11%, she will represent a new record for Green gubernatorial candidates, topping the 1994 Green showing in New Mexico of 10.3%.
Minnesota (Star Tribune Poll): Democrat Mike Hatch 45%, Republican Tim Pawlenty 40%, Independence Party Peter Hutchins 7%, other and undecided 8%.
Florida (Miami Herald poll): Republican Charlie Crist 48%, Democrat Jim Davis 38%, Reform Max Linn 3%, other and undecided 11%.
Texas (Dallas Morning News poll): Republican Rick Perry 39%, Democrat Chris Bell 22%, independent Carole Strayhorn 18%, independent Kinky Friedman 11%, Libertarian James Werner 1%, undecided 9%.