An excellent initiative seems likely to have qualified in Massachusetts. It would legalize “fusion” (the practice of letting two parties jointly nominate the same candidate). Also, it would make it substantially easier for a party to remain qualified. The initiative needed 65,825 signatures, and proponents turned in 109,000.

Current law requires parties to poll 3% for one statewide nominee, every election. Many minor parties can easily meet this requirement in mid-term years, and can even meet it fairly regularly in presidential years if there is a U.S. Senate race up that year also. But in years like 2004, when the only statewide race was president, it is rare for minor parties to pass the test. For example, in 2004, both the Libertarian Party and the Green Party went off the ballot.

The initiative would change the vote test, so that a party can survive if it met the vote test at either of the last two elections.

The latest issue of the Fordham Urban Law Journal contains an article by Richard Winger on the federal court ballot access cases filed by Ralph Nader last year. A copy of the article is being sent to all subscribers to Ballot Access News. If you aren’t a subscriber, but wish a copy of the article, send $2 to Richard Winger, PO Box 470296, San Francisco Ca 94147. The article will not be posted on the internet until mid-2007, when the Fordham site will make it available.

A Zogby poll published November 15 shows these results for the November 2006 Texas governor’s race: Rick Perry (R) 41%; Chris Bell (D) 25%; Kinky Friedman (indp.) 21%. Of course, this election is so far away, it is not even certain that Perry and Bell will be the major party nominees, but it is likely.