On August 23, a state court in Alabama ruled that the state’s laws preventing felons and ex-felons from registering to vote cannot be enforced, until the state legislature passes a law explaining the term “moral turpitude”. The State Constitution does not permit those convicted of a crime of “moral turpitude” to register. The Court ruled that the phrase is far too vague, and violates due process, unless or until the legislature passes a law defining which felonies are included in that term. Gooden v Worley, 2005-5778, Jefferson Co. Circuit Court.

On August 23, a U.S. District Court in Little Rock, Arkansas, issued an injunction putting the Green Party on the ballot, and declaring the law unconstitutional. The case is Green Party of Arkansas v Daniels, 4:06-cv-758. The sole issue is the constitutionality of the law requiring signatures of 3% of the last vote cast for Governor, which was approximately 24,000 signatures. The state will probably appeal. The decision is 11 pages long.

On August 21, John Hulett died at his home in Lowndes County, Alabama. He was one of the founders of the Lowndes County Freedom Organization in 1966. This was a political party that sought to elect African-Americans to county office. It appeared on the ballot under the logo of a black panther. The Alabama Democratic Party, which was then dominated by segregationists, used a rooster as its logo. The symbolism for the black panther was that a black panther could easily overcome a rooster. Hulett visited Oakland, California, in May 1966, and his party’s symbol was the inspiration for the formation of the Black Panther Party of northern California. The Black Panther Party in California never became ballot-qualified, but it helped the Peace & Freedom Party become qualified in California in late 1967.

The Lowndes County Freedom Organization polled between 46% and 41% of the vote for its countywide slate, in 1966. Later Hulett was elected sheriff, but as a Democrat. The county was so poor, the sheriff also had to be the cook for the inmates of the county jail. Hulett was a much loved figure during the years he was sheriff.