Unity.08 leaders, so far, have shown no interest in working to improve ballot access laws, even though Unity.08 itself will be greatly injured by some of them. Unity.08 desires to sponsor an independent presidential candidate, chosen in the early summer of 2008 by millions of people using the internet.

However, laws that force an independent presidential candidate to complete rigorous petition drives by May or June interfere with Unity.08’s goal. Texas is particularly a problem, because it requires 74,108 signatures by early May, from the ranks of people who are registered but who don’t vote in the March 2008 primaries. Arizona’s independent petition number for 2008 can’t be known yet, but probably it will close to 25,000, due in early June.

These laws, and other laws, are forcing Unity.08 to create a political party, but that has disadvantages also. Once a party is created, it will be impossible for Unity.08 to prevent individuals from running for office as party members, for office other than president, yet Unity.08 says it doesn’t intend to run candidates for any office than president.

One would think, therefore, that Unity.08 would be working to ease the independent presidential petition laws. However, leaders of Unity.08 have expressed disinterest in any such activity. If you are part of Unity.08, please urge the organization to re-think this issue.

Utah is the only state in which two different Green Parties are on the ballot. One is the Desert Greens; the other is the Green Party. This is because the party split into two factions in 2004, and had not healed by early 2006. Utah ballots, like the ballots of approximately 15 other states, use party logos. Both Green Parties are using a sunflower logo. The Desert Greens sunflower is a realistic drawing; the Green Party sunflower is a stylized, perfectly symmetrical sunflower.

It is fairly likely that the proportion of votes cast for minor party and independent candidates for the top-most offices next week will be the highest percentage in a mid-term year since 1914.

In 2002, the proportion of voters choosing a minor party or independent candidate for the top-most office on the ballot was 5.3%. That was the highest such percentage since 1934, when 5.6% of voters voted “other”.

With minor party and independent candidates (for the top-most office) polling so well in the populous states of Texas and Illinois, and very well in California and Florida, and ahead of average in Ohio, it is likely that the national percentage will exceed 5.6%. If so, 2006 will be the best mid-term year for “other candidates” since 1914.

“Top-most” office means Governor, in the 37 states that are electing Governors this year. In the other states, it means U.S. Senate. If neither Senator nor Governor is up, it is whatever office is listed at the top of ballots.

Also, it is likely that fourteen or fifteen minor party candidates for state legislatures will be elected.