Congressional Directory Label for Senator Lieberman

Posted on by November 12, 2006
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The Congressional Directory is a book published by the staff of the United States Congress, every two years. The new version is being prepared for printing. Employees of the Congressional Directory recently asked Senator Joseph Lieberman how they should list him, Independent or Democrat? His answer, revealed by the Senator himself on “Meet the Press” on November 12, is “Independent Democrat.” Therefore, the Directory tally for the new Senate will be 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans, 1 Independent, and 1 Independent Democrat.

Lieberman reiterated his pledge to vote to organize the Senate with Democratic Party leadership.

Doug Friedline Dies

Posted on by November 11, 2006
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Doug Friedline died on November 10, of a heart attack, at the age of 49. He had been been a leading political consultant for anyone who ran for office outside the major parties. He had worked for Ross Perot and had assumed leadership in Jesse Ventura’s campaign. He had also worked for at least one Libertarian gubernatorial candidate, in New Jersey, and had been working for Max Linn (Reform Party candidate for Governor of Florida) this year. Friedline’s home was in Chappaqua, New York, but he died in Treasure Island, Florida. Thanks to Darcy Richardson for this news.

Few Minor Party Candidates Won Partisan Elections on November 7

Posted on by November 11, 2006
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Ballot Access News is only aware of eleven instances at which minor parties won partisan elections on November 7, 2006. If anyone knows of any not mentioned below, please comment.

The known instances for state office are six Vermont Progressives elected to the Vermont House, and one Constitution Party nominee elected to the Montana House.

For local partisan office, the list is: Libertarian Steve Coffman elected to the Liberty Township Board in Henry County, Indiana; Libertarian Conley Tillson elected to the Clay Township Board in Wayne County, Indiana; Jackie Berg, Constitution Party nominee elected Clerk-Treasurer of Eureka County; Cel Ochoa, Constitution Party nominee elected Constable in Searchlight, Nevada. These local office minor party nominees all defeated major party nominees, with one exception. In the Clay Township Board election, three members were to be elected, yet only two Republicans (and no Democrats) ran against three Libertarians.

Texas Ballot Access Law Looks Sillier than Ever

Posted on by November 10, 2006
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In 2008, an independent presidential candidate in Texas will need 74,108 signatures. But a new party will need 43,939 signatures.

Completion of a new party petition will enable that party to nominate someone for every partisan office in the state. With 254 counties, all using partisan elections, each electing at least six or seven county offices, plus all the state and federal offices, a single new party petition could potentially add several thousand candidates to the November 2008 ballot.

But an independent presidential petition only adds one name to the ballot. Clearly, it is absurd for Texas to require 30,000 more signatures for an independent presidential candidate than for an entire new party. If anyone in Texas reads this, please ask your state legislator for a bill to ease the independent presidential petition. Another foolish aspect of the Texas presidential law is that statewide independent candidates for office other than president need 43,939 signatures in 2008, rather than 74,108. Still another foolish aspect is that independent petitions are due two weeks before the new party petition.

Vermont Sets a Historical Record for US Senate Vote

Posted on by November 10, 2006
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The United States has had popular elections for U.S. Senate starting in 1914. In the entire history of these elections, there had never been a U.S. Senate election in which the combined Democratic-Republican Party vote for U.S. Senate had fallen below one-third of the vote, until November 7, 2006. In that election, in Vermont, over two-thirds of the voters chose someone who wasn’t a Democrat or a Republican. Of course, the vast bulk of this “other” vote went to Bernie Sanders, who received 65% of the vote. The total “other” vote in the Vermont race was 67.6%.

Previous to 2006, the record had been in Minnesota in 1928, when 66.3% of the voters had voted for someone other than a Democrat or Republican.