On May 26, a three-judge U.S. District Court panel enjoined use of the Alabama redistricting plan that the legislature passed earlier this month. Singleton v Allen, combined with Milligan v Allen, n.d., 2:21cv-1291. The decision is 102 pages and is by U.S. Court of Appeals judge Stanley Marcus, a Clinton appointee. It is also signed by U.S. District Court Judges Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer, both Trump appointees.

The order keeps the special primary set for August 11 in place, for the First, Second, Sixth and Seventh districts. That means the deadline for independent and minor party petitions will also be August 11. The order does not address the number of signatures that will be required. It says, “We expressly leave to the State’s discretion (as we must) how it addresses candidate qualification.”

The order is based on the same court’s finding several years ago that the 2023 redistricting plan, which was mirrored in this month’s plan, intentionally discriminated against Black voters and was not drawn for partisan reasons.

It will be interesting to see if the state now appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the meantime, the uncertainty over the district boundaries makes a very strong case that the number of signatures, normally approximately 6,000 per district, should be reduced due to the limited time for anyone to complete a petition.

This year, there will be seven minor party candidates for U.S. House on the Florida general election ballot. That is the most in Florida since 1912. There will be three Libertarians, two from the Independent Party, one Forward Party member, and one from the MGTOW Party (that stands for Men Going Their Own Way). Here is the Secretary of State’s list of candidates.

The is the first time the Forward Party and the MGTOW Party have ever appeared on the Florida ballot for any federal or state office. It is also the first time that any party, other than Republican, Democratic, or Libertarian, has had a candidate on the general election ballot for U.S. House since 2010, when the Tea Party and the Whig Party had candidates.

This is also the most Libertarians on the ballot for U.S. House in Florida. There had been two in each of these years: 2022, 2016, and 2014. There had been one in 2024, 2012, and 2000.

Ballot access was easier in Florida this year than it usually is. The law makes ballot access easier in years following a redistricting, and Florida engaged in redistricting this year. The petition in lieu of filing fee is easier in such years.

In 1912 there were four Socialists, four Progressives, and two Prohibitionists.

On May 24, the Libertarian Party national convention, meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, elected Evan McMahon as the new national party chair. He has been the state chair of the Indiana Libertarian Party.