On May 10, a U.S. District Court Judge in Greenville, Mississippi, denied injunctive relief to the Mississippi Democratic Party. The party had filed a lawsuit in February 2006, hoping to win a ruling that it could exclude non-members of the party from voting in its June 2006 primary. Mississippi Democratic Party v Barbour, 4:06-cv-29. Mississippi doesn’t have registration by party, so the Democratic Party’s requested relief is somewhat awkward to implement.
On May 10, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee passed HR 9, which extends the life of the federal Voting Rights Act. As passed by the Committee, the bill merely keeps the Act in existence, but does not amend it. The Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965, has been extraordinarily effective in protecting the rights of racial and ethnic minorities to register to vote. It has also helped racial and ethnic minorities to win elections, by making redistricting more favorable. Unfortunately, though, the Voting Rights Act has never been interpreted to help voters who would like to vote for independent candidates and small political parties.
On May 9, West Virginia held primaries for the two major parties. Richie Robb lost his bid to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. House, 2nd district. He polled 30%, placing third in a 3-way race to oppose the Republican incumbent. Robb had been a Republican presidential elector candidate in 2004 (he had since switched parties). He had said, before the November 2004 election, that if elected to the Electoral College, that he would not vote for President Bush in the Electoral College. However, after he was elected to the Electoral College, he changed his mind and did vote for him.
On May 9, West Virginia held primaries for the two major parties. Richie Robb lost his bid to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. House, 2nd district. He polled 30%, placing third in a 3-way race to oppose the Republican incumbent. Robb had been a Republican presidential elector candidate in 2004 (he had since switched parties). He had said, before the November 2004 election, that if elected to the Electoral College, that he would not vote for President Bush in the Electoral College. However, after he was elected to the Electoral College, he changed his mind and did vote for him.
West Virginia’s only ballot-qualified party, other than the Republican and Democratic Parties, is the Mountain Party. On May 9, it announced its nominees for public office this November. They include the party’s first nominee for U.S. Senate (the party has been on the ballot starting in 2000), Jesse Johnson. He will be the first minor party or independent candidate on the ballot for U.S. Senate from West Virginia since 2000, when a Libertarian ran for U.S. Senate.
