On May 12, the Missouri legislature adjourned, without passing SB 726, the bill which gives more flexibility to newly-qualifying parties to decide whom to run for president.
However, the legislature passed SB 1014, which eliminates the straight-ticket voting device. Generally, straight-ticket devices injure minor parties and independent candidates.
On May 12, State Senator James Meeks of Illinois announced that he will unveil a slate of statewide candidates (presumably, under the party label “Honesty and Integrity”) on May 20. He didn’t say if he will be the gubernatorial candidate of his new party, but it is likely.
It had been looking as though Alabama was going to be the only state with a statewide ballot access monopoly for Democrats and Republicans in November 2006. It had seemed as though every other state with a statewide partisan race on the ballot would have at least one minor party or independent candidate on the statewide ballot.
But now, there is even hope that Alabama will have a third choice in a statewide race this year. The Libertarian Party is energized and working very hard to obtain the 41,012 valid signatures needed to get on the ballot. This energy comes from the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Loretta Nall, who is a natural campaigner with great appeal. The deadline is June 6.
A lawsuit is pending against that deadline. U.S. District Court Judge Myron Thompson received all the briefs in late 2004, and we have been waiting for his opinion ever since.
Noon on May 12 was the deadline for candidates for Congress in Florida. In the U.S. Senate race, 4 independents, but no minor party nominees, will be on the November ballot.
In U.S. House races, Democrats fielded a candidate in 24 of the 25 districts, whereas Republicans fielded a candidate in only 19 of the 25 districts. There are only two minor party nominees for U.S. House. The Constitution Party is running one in the 23rd district (he will be the only opponent to the Democratic incumbent), and a Libertarian is running in the 22nd district, but due to a paperwork glitch, he will be listed as an independent.
Also, there are bona fide independent candidates running in the 8th, 12th, and 16th districts. There are no mandatory petition requirements for minor party or independent candidates in Florida; but they must pay a fee, for Congress, of $9,726.
Filing for state office doesn’t close until July.
On May 10, the Louisiana House Governmental Affairs Committee Passed HB 927, the bill to award the state’s electoral college votes to whomever gets the most popular votes nationwide. The vote was 6-4. Democrats have a majority in both houses of the Louisiana legislature, and a Democratic Governor.
A similar bill in Illinois failed to pass, and the legislature has now adjourned for the year. A similar bill in Missouri cannot pass this year (because it failed to move ahead in time), unless the substance of it gets amended into another bill that does pass.
Supporters of the idea say they will have bills in all states next year.
