Rasmussen Reports released a poll of the Texas gubernatorial race on July 24. It shows Republican Rick Perry 40%, independent Carole Strayhorn 20%, independent Kinky Friedman 19%, Democrat Chris Bell 13%. The poll did not ask respondents about the Libertarian nominee, James Warner.
The Working Families Party will turn in a statewide petition for its lone Massachusetts statewide candidate on July 26. The petition has 9,000 signatures, and only 5,000 are required. This is the 4th statewide qualification effort completed by the Working Families Party this year (the others have been Delaware, Oregon and South Carolina).
The Indiana Libertarian Party nominated approximately 70 candidates for public office this year. The party is ballot-qualified and nominates by convention. Twelve of these nominees will probably not appear on the November ballot. They include the party’s nominee for State Auditor, two U.S. House candidates, and 9 state legislative nominees.
One law requires parties to fill vacancies by June 30. The party followed that law. But another law (that applies only to qualified parties that don’t use a primary) requires a party that intends to fill vacancies, to file another notice 10 days earlier, saying that it intends to fill vacancies. The party had not known about that law. The law had not been enforced in the past, but a new law removes the discretion of state elections officials to overlook it.
The Green Party of Missouri, which uses the ballot name “Progressive Party” submitted almost 15,000 signatures on July 24, to meet the statewide requirement of 10,000.
Louisiana is holding a special election this year to fill a vacancy in the office of Secretary of State. The Louisiana Libertarian Party has nominated Rayburn Clipper for that office. Since the party is ballot-qualified, he will appear on the ballot with the label “Libertarian” next to his name. He will be the first person to run for that office with the name of a party (other than Democratic or Republican) on the ballot next to his name, since 1912, when the Socialist Party ran J. W. Basset for that office.
Louisiana kept all minor party and independent candidates off its ballot between 1918 and 1947. In 1948 it eased ballot access for minor party and independent candidates for president, but it continued to keep all minor party and independent candidates (for office other than president) off, until 1970.
In 2004 the legislature drastically eased the definition of “party”, effective in 2005. As a result of the 2004 change, the Libertarian, Green and Reform Parties became qualified parties. This is the first time the new law has had an effect in a statewide race. Under the law in existence before 2004, any Libertarian or member of any unqualified party could have been on the ballot by paying a filing fee, but no party label would have been shown. This year, the label “Libertarian” will be next to Clipper’s name.
