On January 23, the US Supreme Court refused to disturb the Minnesota Republican Party’s victory in the 8th circuit last August. The 8th circuit had struck down a state regulation, making it illegal for candidates for judge to “identify themselves as members of a political party” or to “attend a political gathering or seek, accept or use an endorsement from a political organization”. Dimick v Republican Party of Minnesota, 05-566.
The Working Families is about to start circulating a petition to qualify itself for the Oregon ballot. The party is now on the ballot statewide in only one state, New York. It is on the ballot in parts of Connecticut.
In 2004, Ralph Nader challenged the Ohio law that requires circulators for independent candidates to be registered voters in the state. Both the U.S. District Court and the 6th circuit refused to rule on the constitutionality of the law. The 6th circuit had ruled on November 16, 2005, that the case is moot. Nader had then asked for reconsideration. On January 20, 2006, the Court asked attorneys for the Secretary of State to respond to Nader’s petition for rehearing. This indicates there is a fair chance that the rehearing will be granted.
A Georgia Libertarian, Jay Fisher, will make a serious attempt to become the first political party nominee (other than a Democrat or Republican) to appear on the ballot for U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia in the last 63 years. In 1943 Georgia enacted a law that requires minor party and independent candidates for U.S. House to submit a petition signed by 5% of the registered voters in that district. No independent has managed this since 1964, and no minor party nominee has ever done it. Jay Fisher is a Deputy Attorney General, an activist in LEAP (Law Enforcement Personnel Against Prohibition), and was a paramedic while attending law school. He needs campaign contributions to cope with the requirement that he collect 15,000 valid signatures from the 6th district. His address is 3013 Mulberry St., Marietta Ga 30066.
If he succeeds, there will be publicity about the petition requirement, which will help garner support for easing the requirement.
On January 8, Minnesota State Senator Sheila Kiscaden changed her membership from the Independence Party to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. She had been elected to the State Senate as the Independence Party nominee in 2002. She will run for Lieutenant Governor as a Democrat this year, teamed with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kelly Doran. Kiscaden had been a Republican before she joined the Independence Party.
