FEC Chair Condemns Restrictive Ballot Access Laws

Posted on by September 5, 2006
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Michael Toner, chair of the Federal Election Commission, appeared for an hour on C-SPAN on August 30, answering questions from viewers. A viewer from Lamar, Missouri, asked Toner about the treatment of minor party and independent presidential candidates. In response, Toner strongly condemned states that require hundreds of thousands of signatures for minor parties and independent candidates to get on the ballot. He emphasized how different the various states are on ballot access, and suggested that the more lenient states have little trouble with their lenient policy.

Toner also suggested that the Commission on Presidential Debates ought to lower the requirements for entry into the presidential debates, from 15% in national polls, to either 5% or 10% in such polls.

Toner is one of the three Republicans on the Federal Election Commission. Thanks to Nancy Ross for this news.

Minor Parties Run Fewer Candidates for US House than in 2004

Posted on by September 5, 2006
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The three nationally-organized minor parties that always run the most candidates have fewer candidates for US House on the ballot this year than they did in 2004.

The Libertarian Party has 114; in 2004 it had 144.
The Green Party has 45; in 2004 it had 47.
The Constitution Party has 28; in 2004 it had 43.

The Independent Party of Virginia has 3 candidates for U.S. House on the ballot, but the national Green Party is adamant that the Independent Green Party of Virginia is not part of the Green Party.

Some of these totals may change. Please comment if you feel this information is incorrect. A breakdown by state (for 2006) follows:

Libertarian: Alaska 1, Arizona 8, California 24, Colorado 3, Connecticut 1, Florida 1 (on as independent), Illinois 1, Indiana 2, Kentucky 3, Louisiana 5, Michigan 13, Missouri 9, Montana 1, Nevada 2, New Hampshire 1, New Jersey 4, New Mexico 1 (if lawsuit wins), New York 1, Oregon 1, South Carolina 1, South Dakota 1, Texas 25, Utah 3, Virginia 1, Wyoming 1.

Green: Alaska 1, California 7, Colorado 3, Connecticut 2, Delaware 1, Maryland 4, Michigan 8, Minnesota 1, Missouri 4, New York 1, Oregon 1, Pennsylvania 4 (one is being challenged), South Carolina 3, Tennessee 2, Vermont 1 (uncertain), Wisconsin 2.

Constitution: California 2, Colorado 1, Idaho 2, Kentucky 1, Michigan 8, Minnesota 1, Nevada 3, New Jersey 1, Oregon 4, Pennsylvania 1, Texas 1, Utah 3.

At least 3 Choices in US Senate Races in Most States

Posted on by September 4, 2006
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Thirty-three states will hold U.S. Senate elections this November. All will have minor party or independent candidates on the ballot, except Massachusetts, Nebraska, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Wyoming; and whether there is a third choice in New Mexico and Pennsylvania depends on lawsuits still undecided.

The Green and Constitution Parties are on the Nebraska ballot, but neither chose to run anyone for US Senate. The Libertarian Party is on the Wyoming ballot but it also chose to run no one for US Senate.

Green Included In Illinois Gubernatorial Poll

Posted on by September 4, 2006
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A neutral poll released on September 4 for Governor of Illinois shows these results: Democratic 47%, Republican 39%, Green 2%, undecided 12%. This is the first poll to include the Green Party candidate, Richard Whitney.

If Whitney does receive 2% in November, it is reasonable to assume that some of the other statewide Green Party nominees will receive 5%. If one of the statewide Green Party nominees polls 5%, the Green Party will then be qualified in 2008 for automatic ballot status, and a primary, for statewide offices (but not district offices). That would also include a presidential primary.

In 2002, the Libertarian Party was the only minor party on the Illinois ballot, just as this year the Greens are the only one. In 2002, the Libertarians polled 1.65% for Governor, and higher amounts for all the other statewide offices, including 4.23% for Controller.

The last time a minor party polled 5% for a statewide race in Illinois was in 1996, when the Reform Party did it.

If the Greens could poll 5% for Governor this year, then they would be a qualified party in 2008 for all partisan offices, not just statewide offices.

Creator of Exit Polling Dies

Posted on by September 4, 2006
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On September 1, Warren Mitofsky died, in New York city, at the age of either 71 or 72. In 1967, while he was working for CBS News, he conceived of the idea of hiring vast numbers of individuals to station themselves outside certain polling places, and ask voters (after they had voted) how they had voted. The method depended on sophisticated sampling analysis. Exit polling has spread around the world. Mitofsky was not retired, and had been working on techniques for the 2006 U.S. congressional election on the very day he died.