The Common Sense Party is about to start its petition drive for party status in Michigan. The Board of State Canvassers is expected to approve the petition forms on May 19. In Michigan, a party that wishes to petition must first get the petition format approved by the state. Thanks to Fairvote for this news.
On May 11, the U.S. Supreme Court issued five opinions, but none of them concern election law.
On May 8, the Indiana Green Party filed this brief in Indiana Green Party v Sullivan, s.d., 1:22cv-518. This is the case that challenges the number of signatures and the petition deadline for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties. As the opening sentence of the brief points out, no statewide petition has succeeded in Indiana since 2000. It is the only state in which Ralph Nader never appeared on the ballot, and which has not eased its ballot access laws since he ran. Nader placed third in three elections in a row: 2000, 2004, and 2008.
On May 10, the Ohio House passed SJR2, which is a proposed constitutional amendment. It would require initiatives that amend the constitution to pass with 60%. Also it makes it more difficult for initiatives to get on the ballot. Assuming the measure is signed, initiative petitions will need a substantial amount of support in each of Ohio’s 88 counties. Also the “cure” period, to fix any flaws in the initiative, is abolished.
The bill also says that voters will vote on it on August 8, 2023, at a time when nothing else is on the ballot.
Some legal experts believe that it is illegal to set the August 8 election date in a resolution, instead of a bill.
On May 1, the California voters who feel that the state must permit independent voters to cast a vote in any presidential primary asked the State Supreme Court to hear their appeal. Boydston v Jones. California already lets parties decide for themselves whether to let independent voters vote in that party’s presidential primary. In 2020, the Democratic, American Independent, and Libertarian Parties allowed independents to vote in their presidential primaries. But the voters who filed the lawsuit want the ability to cast a vote for a presidential candidate running in the Republican, Green, or Peace & Freedom presidential primaries.
The State Court of Appeals, and the Superior Court, had ruled against the plaintiff-voters.
