On August 15, the Texas Libertarian Party filed this brief in In re Self, 22-0658. This is the case over whether Libertarian nominees who didn’t pay the filing fee should be on the November 2022 ballot. The issue turns on statutory interpretation, which is quite complicated in Texas election law.
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether to hear Cowen v Rafflesperger, 22-101, on its September 28 conference. That is the Georgia Libertarian Party lawsuit on ballot access for minor party and independent candidates for U.S. House.
Amici briefs in support of the Libertarian Party are due September 1.
North Dakota State Representative Rick Becker, a Republican, has announced that he will run for the U.S. Senate this year as an independent candidate. See this story.
A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll for Governor shows these results: Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds 48%, Democratic nominee Deidre DeJear 31%, Libertarian Rick Stewart 5%, someone else 5%, will not vote 2%, unsure 9%.
There will probably be only three candidates on the ballot, although the petition deadline for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties hasn’t passed yet, so it is possible others could enter the race. See this news story about the poll.
Iowa defines a qualified party as one that got 2% for the office at the top of the ticket (i.e., president in presidential years and Governor in midterm years). No minor party has polled as much as 2% for Iowa Governor since 1970, when the American Independent Party polled 2.39%.
Rebekah Jones is a Florida Democratic candidate for U.S. House, District One. On August 12, a Florida state appeals court stayed the order that votes for her should not be counted in the upcoming primary. Her ballot position had been challenged because it was alleged that while she was living in Maryland last year, she had been a registered independent. She disputes that. See this story.
The appeals court still has not decided the merits of the case, but the fact that it stayed the lower court’s order is a sign that the Appeals court is taking her case seriously. The primary is on August 23. The ballots have already been printed. Jones’ name is on the ballot, but if she doesn’t win her case, there will be signs at the polling places saying her votes won’t be counted.
