In 2009, the Maine legislature eased the vote test for a party to remain ballot-qualified. The old test required a party to poll 5% of the vote for the office at the top of the ticket, at either of the last two elections. This was a difficult test, but the Green Party satisfied it by polling over 5% for Governor in all gubernatorial elections 1994 through 2006. Read more »
Philly News of June 29 has this article about Pennsylvania ballot access for minor parties and independent candidates. The article was undoubtedly triggered by Ralph Nader’s recent letter to members of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on that subject. Read more »
On June 19, Dr. Mary Ruwart discussed “The Future of the Libertarian Movement” to fellow Libertarians in Manchester, New Hampshire. Based on the 2008 election results and her 25 years running as an LP candidate, Dr. Ruwart suggested a shift in strategy to make every election a winning one. You can view her talk at:
Georgia Greens join Cynthia McKinney, Diaspora Leaders at Press Conference on Libya
ATLANTA, GA. — Members of the African Diaspora will hold a press conference with the ‘Dignity Delegation’ this Wednesday June 29, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. in Atlanta on their eyewitness and investigative Fact-Finding Mission to Libya. The Press Conference will be led by the former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and other members of the ‘Dignity Delegation’. Read more »
A one-day conference entitled The Future Of The Libertarian Political Movement was recently held on Sunday, June 19, 2011 at the Highlander Inn in Manchester, New Hampshire. George Phillies organized the conference, co-sponsored by the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire and the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts, and promised to cover any losses. He had support from his State Committee, Angela Keaton and Rich Tomasso. Read more »
Ever since 1920, the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives has been publishing a book that shows how many votes each candidate for Congress received in the preceding election. The Clerk has just published the latest volume, which is titled “Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010.” The book is interesting because it includes tables at the back, showing the vote for each house of Congress by party. Read more »
On June 29, the Ohio House again passed HB 194. It had already been passed by the Senate. The House then (on June 29) accepted the Senate’s amendments, so the bill is through the legislature. The bill moves the presidential primary to the first week in May, and sets the petition deadline for new parties at 90 days before the primary. Read more »
On June 29, the Delaware House passed both SB 118 and SB 89. Both bills are now through the legislature. SB 89 moves the presidential primary from February to April, and SB 118 lets voters change party registration up until 60 days before the presidential primary. These bills, assuming they are signed into law, will indirectly help minor parties to get on the ballot. Minor parties need about 625 registered members to be on the ballot in 2012. Read more »
