Iowa Libertarian State House Candidate Polled Highest Percent of Any Minor Party Legislative Candidate in Iowa Since Before World War II

Posted on by January 2, 2023
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On November 8, 2022, Libertarian Party nominee Sean Schriver, running for State House, district 71, polled 32.24% in a two-way race. That is the highest percentage for any minor party candidate for Iowa legislature since before World War II.

Iowa, unlike other midwestern farm states, does not have a history of strong support for minor parties. No minor party candidate has been elected to the Iowa legislature since a Populist was elected in 1891.

Until 2022, the highest percentage for a minor party candidate for the Iowa legislature had been in 1964, when Conservative Party nominee Reuben Rustad had polled 25.38% in a two-person race.

The 71st State House district is in Dubuque County. Schriver’s only opponent was a Democrat.

Georgia Libertarian Party Files Brief on Why U.S. House Petition Requirement Violates Equal Protection

Posted on by January 2, 2023
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On December 21, the Georgia Libertarian Party filed this brief in Cowen v Raffensperger, n.d., 1:17cv-4660. This is the case against the Georgia 5% petition procedure for U.S. House candidates of minor parties and independent candidates. The case is still open for a decision on whether the law violates Equal Protection.

The brief, and the evidence that is attached to it, shows that the 5% petition was clearly passed to keep the Communist Party off the ballot. The evidence shows that the Communist Party had been the first to nominate a black candidate for vice-president, and that was a reason for the state’s hostility to allowing it on the ballot. The evidence also shows that when the 1986 amendments were passed, easing statewide petition requirements but not district office requirements, were passed in order to keep Libertarians and others from running legislative candidates.

The evidence is not attached to the link, unfortunately.

Hawaii Supreme Court Upholds State’s Primary System

Posted on by January 2, 2023
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On December 23, the Hawaii Supreme Court upheld the state’s primary voting system. Malish v Nago, SCEC-22-682.

The Hawaii Constitution says in primary elections, no voter is asked to declare a party or declare independent status. It says each primary voter receives the primary ballots of all qualified parties, and if there are any independent candidates, also the primary ballot that only lists independents. The primary voter chooses one type of ballot and casts it.

The plaintiffs argued that the very act of the voter choosing one type of primary ballot is intrinsically forcing that voter to declare party memberhip, but the Court does not discuss this idea and merely says the plaintiffs have not stated a claim for which relief can be granted.

New York Times Article on 1855 Speaker’s Race Omits the Partisan Background

Posted on by December 31, 2022
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The New York Times has this article about the 1855 race for Speaker of the U.S. House. In the print edition it is titled “How Once-in-a-Century Chaos Could Hit the Vote for Speaker.” It describes how, in 1855-1856, the race for Speaker took two months to resolve.

But the article omits the reason. After the 1854 election, no party was even close to having a majority in the U.S. House. The new Republican Party had the most seats; Democrats were second; and the American “Know-Nothing” Party was third. When the house finally chose a speaker, Nathaniel P. Banks of Massachusetts, the Speaker was a member of the third biggest party, the Know-Nothings. It was actually easier for the House to choose someone from that party, because Democrats couldn’t abide having a Republican speaker, and vice versa.

The New York Times article has not one word about the partisan split back then.

Libertarian National Chair Gives Birth to a Healthy Baby Boy

Posted on by December 30, 2022
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On December 3, Angela McArdle, national chair of the Libertarian Party, gave birth to a healthy baby boy. As far as is known, this is the first time the national chair of any nationally-organized party has given birth. Major parties and minor parties alike have always had male chief executives until very recent decades. This is true, even for parties such as the Communist Party and the Socialist Workers Party who were among the first to nominate female presidential candidates.