The Forward Party has joined the board of the Coalition for Free & Open Elections (COFOE). COFOE was formed in 1985 as a loose coalition of most of the nation’s nationally-organized minor parties, as well as other groups that support better ballot access, such as Fairvote and Independent Voting.

This is the time when minor party activists ought to be working to find sponsors for bills to improve the ballot access laws. Legislators decide which bills to introduce, for the most part, in the last three months of even-numbered years. COFOE hopes to assist individuals with this work.

Bills to improve the ballot access laws have passed since 1985, without the benefit of lawsuits, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The last such bill was in Alaska in 2022, when the legislature eased the number of registrants for party status.

On October 6, all the candidates for Oregon’s U.S. House seat, Fourth District, debated each other. The Debate was sponsored by the Oregon League of Women Voters. The five candidates were the nominees of the Democratic, Republican, Green, Independent, and Constitution Parties. See this story. The Independent Party nominee, Levi Leatherberry, is also the nominee of the Libertarian Party.

On October 5, Paula Overby died. She was the Legal Marijuana Now Party’s U.S. House candidate in the Minnesota Second District. See this story. The same thing happened to the party two years ago. Thanks to several people for the link.