On June 9, 2006, U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Martone upheld Arizona’s early June petition deadline for independent presidential candidates. He also upheld the state law saying only Arizona residents may circulate such a petition. Nader is appealing.
At 4:14 pm on July 3, someone challenged the Illinois statewide Green petition. However, since the party submitted 39,000 signatures (25,000 are required) the challenge will probably fail.
On July 3, someone challenged the Illinois statewide petition for the Constitution Party. Since the party submitted only 4,800 signatures, and 25,000 are required, this means the party won’t be on the November ballot. Illinois is the only state in which it is possible for a petition that, on its face, has fewer signatures than are required, to still be valid…but only if no one challenges.
The North Carolina State Senate Judiciary Committee will hear H88 on July 5 at 1 pm in room 1027 of the legislative building. H88 was introduced last year to cut the number of signatures for a new party to one-fourth of the current requirement, and to cut the number of signatures for a statewide independent to that same standard (one-half of 1% of the last vote cast). It also lowered the number of votes for a party to remain qualified to 2% of the last vote cast. Unfortunately, the bill was amended on the floor last year to gut the helpful provisions, and add filing fees to nominees of parties that nominate by convention.
Now H88 will have its first Senate hearing. Activists with North Carolina Open Elections (www.NCOpenElections.org) are organizing to have a large contingent to persuade the Senate Committee to restore the bill to its original wording. This is a very important hearing. This bill almost certainly will pass in some form. The existing law on the number of signatures for a statewide independent was declared unconstitutional in 2004, so the state needs to pass new legislation.
On July 3, U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman announced that he will begin circulating a petition to get himself on the ballot this year as an independent candidate. He needs 7,500 valid signatures by August 9. The major party primaries are August 8. Lieberman is also running in the Democratic primary. If he wins the Democratic primary, he will not turn in the signatures. If he loses the primary, he will turn them in.
