New York Newspaper Publicizes that 2022 Will be First Gubernatorial Election in Eighty Years With Only Two Candidates on Ballot

Posted on by July 2, 2022
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To its credit, the Syracuse Post-Standard published a story on July 2 saying that 2022 will be the first gubernatorial election in 80 years in which only two candidates will be on the general election ballot. See it here. Actually the newspaper isn’t quite accurate; 1946 was the last gubernatorial election in New York with only two candidates. There were several minor party petitions in 1946 but they were all challenged. They were from the Socialist, Socialist Labor, and Socialist Workers Party.

It is possible 2022 will have more choices on the ballot, if the pending Libertarian-Green lawsuit pending in the Second Circuit succeeds.

The New York Times has not run any stories about the unusually restricted choices facing New York voters this year.

Alaska June Special U.S. House Primary Ballot Rejections

Posted on by July 2, 2022
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At the Alaska special primary election for U.S. House last month, 4.55% of the ballots were invalid. See this story. The story lays stress on the problem that many ballots lacked the signature of a witness. The law requires two signatures, the voter’s signature plus someone else who witnessed the voter’s signature. In many cases the voter signed the outer envelope but there was no witness signature.

However, many ballots were invalid for other reasons. Some voters voted for more than one candidate, because the publicity about Alaska’s new election system emphasizes that the top four candidates will advance to the general election. Therefore, some voters believe they should vote for up to four candidates in the primary. Thanks to Mark Seidenberg for the link.

North Carolina State Board of Elections Asks Administrative Judge to Reconsider Decision that Cancelled Constitution Party Campaign Finance Fine

Posted on by July 2, 2022
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On July 1, the North Carolina State Board of Elections asked for reconsideration before an Administrative Law Judge. The Administrative Law Judge had ruled on June 22 that the Constitution Party’s 2020 gubernatorial candidate should not be fined $2,750 for being late with certain campaign finance reports. The Board argues that the ALJ should change her mind about that. Here is the Board’s filing.

Jill Stein Files Brief in U.S. Court of Appeals Over Primary Season Matching Funds

Posted on by July 2, 2022
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On June 28, Jill Stein filed this brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, in her lawsuit over 2016 primary season matching funds. Stein v FEC, 21-1213. The FEC has demanded that Stein repay $175,272. It says the FEC overpaid her and it wants the repayment back.

Stein disputes that she was overpaid. She raises a constitutional challenge to the period during which a minor party candidate is eligible. Generally a presidential candidate seeking the nomination of a party, or various parties, can have the FEC match the money she or he has raised, until after all those nominations are settled. But there is an additional rule that the FEC relies on, that regardless of whether all the relevant minor party nomination contests are settled, the period stops when both the major parties have had their national conventions.

That latter rule was not a problem in 2012, the first year Stein ran. The two major parties had not finished their national conventions until September 6, 2012. That was so late, all the nominations Stein was seeking (Peace & Freedom, Green) had been settled by late August. But in 2016, the two major parties made a drastic change in their national convention dates. Both major parties had finished their national conventions by July 28, 2016, so the FEC disallowed all the money Stein had raised between July 28, 2016, and late August 2016, when the Peace & Freedom convention was over. Stein argues that the major party convention dates should be irrelevant.

There are other, non-constitutional issues in this case also.