Arizona State Senator Karen Johnson won informal consent from the State Senate on February 24 to add a amendment to SB1205. Current law requires a new party to submit a petition signed by 1.33% of the last vote cast. Her amendment would change the base of the percentage, to the last vote cast in a gubernatorial election. Arizona elects Governors in mid-term years, and the turnout in mid-term years is always far lower than in presidential years. If passed, the Amendment will reduce the 2006 new party petition from 26,835 signatures, to 16,348 signatures. However, the amendment would have no effect on new party petitioning in presidential years, such as 2008. It would only make petitioning easier in mid-term years.

The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that on February 17, they asked the Oregon Secretary of State to file a brief, explaining why the Court shouldn’t accept Ralph Nader’s ballot access appeal. This is a good sign that the Court is interested in the case. Oregon had already told the Court last month that it didn’t wish to file a response. But now the Court has said, notwithstanding Oregon’s disinterest in responding, that Oregon ought to respond. The case is Kucera v Bradley, 04-872.

Yesterday, the Louisiana Libertarian Party became a qualified party in that state. Under a law passed in 2004, any unqualified party that has at least 1,000 registered members, and which pays a one-time fee of $1,000, becomes a qualified party.

The Reform Party also has over 1,000 registered members in Louisiana, but it hasn’t paid its $1,000 fee yet. The Green Party is working to get its registration up to 1,000, and has about 900 now.

Being a qualified political party in Louisiana means that when members of the party run for public office, their party name is printed on the ballot next to their name. Louisiana prints party labels for all candidates for president. But for all other office, no party label is printed next to a candidate’s name, unless he or she is a member of a qualified party.