The US Court of Appeals, 6th circuit, will hear Libertarian Party of Ohio v Blackwell on September 14, 2005. The issues are (1) whether a state can require a group to qualify as a party an entire year before the election; (2) whether the state can change the petition format slightly after a party is already circulating the petition, and then reject that petition because the form had been changed while the petition was circulating.

On September 23, the 6th circuit will hear Lawrence v Blackwell, the challenge to the state’s deadline for independent candidates (for office other than president). In 2004 that deadline was March 1. The case was brought by a Socialist Equality Party candidate for congress.

Missouri’s Governor vetoed HB 525 several weeks ago. This is the bill that makes a small but important improvement in the state’s ballot access law. This site reported he had signed it. The error was the state’s; the legislative web page said he had signed it, when this was not true. This news is very disappointing. It is possible the legislature will override the veto in September.

Generally, a party that petitions for qualified status in Missouri (as in 38 other states) doesn’t need to print the names of its nominees on the petition itself. They are chosen later, after the group has qualified as a party. But Missouri law says the petition must name the candidates for presidential elector. The law is not the result of anyone’s thinking; it is just a typographical error in the law passed back in 1993.

On July 12, New Mexico’s Secretary of State ruled that parties are not disqualified until they have failed the vote test twice in a row. Therefore, the Green and Constitution Parties are qualified in New Mexico for 2006.