Source: Ballot Access News

ProPublica has this story about groups that wanted to help Montana U.S. Senator Jon Tester get re-elected in November 2012. So, they made independent expenditures in favor of the Libertarian in the race, Dan Cox.

The story is not completely accurate; it says that the Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate received more votes than any other Libertarian in the 2012 election, but actually the Libertarian running for Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

The three Libertarian U.S. House nominees in the nation (in races with both a Republican and a Democrat) who received the highest shares of the vote in 2012 were in Arizona, Mississippi and Kansas. Powell Gammill, in the Arizona 9th district, polled 6.64% (16,620 votes). Ron Williams, in the Mississippi 4th district, polled 6.30% (17,982 votes). He is an experienced campaigner and had run for Governor in the 2011 Republican primary. In Kansas, Libertarian nominee Thomas Jefferson, running Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

The Green Party nominee for U.S. House who received the highest percentage in the nation (when districts are excluded that did not have both a Democrat and a Republican also in the race) in 2012 was Ursula Rozum. She was the Green Party nominee in New York’s 24th district, centered on Syracuse.

She got a great deal of publicity when she received campaign contributions from a wealthy donor who Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

In November 2012, Libertarian nominees for U.S. House polled 1.14% of all the votes cast for U.S. House in the nation. This was the fifth time the Libertarian Party had met the 1% standard. The other times were 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2010.

The 2012 outcome is surprising, because no Libertarians appeared on the California ballot for U.S. House in California, which in the past had always been the state that contributed more votes for U.S. Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

In November 2010, the percentage of voters who cast a vote for an independent or minor party for U.S. House was 3.28% of the total vote cast for U.S. House. The November 2012 percentage can’t be known exactly until the New York State Board of Elections reports the final vote, but it appears it was also 3.3%.

It is somewhat surprising that the “other” vote for U.S. House in 2012 didn’t decline substantially. In Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

Four minor party nominees in 2012 partisan statewide races carried counties. In Vermont, Cassandra Gekas, Progressive Party member-nominee for Lieutenant Governor, carried Bennington and Windham Counties. Vermont has fourteen counties. The Democratic Party had cross-endorsed Gekas, but she appeared on the ballot as “Progressive, Democrat”, indicating she considered herself a member of the Progressive Party. Vermont does not have registration by party, so the only official way a fusion Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

The United States has been holding popular elections for U.S. Senate starting in 1914. In November 2012, in four states, minor party or independent candidates for U.S. Senate polled the highest percentage ever, for non-major party candidates for U.S. Senate within that state.

In Maryland, independent U.S. Senate candidate S. Rob Sobhani polled 16.38% in a four-candidate race. The previous best showing for U.S. Senate in Maryland for a non-major party candidate had Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

Lawsuits are pending in Alabama and Tennessee in which the state argues that having party labels on the ballot for minor party nominees is not helpful to those nominees. However, the Tennessee election returns for 2012, when compared to past election returns, dramatically show that a party label increases the vote for minor parties. This is especially true when one looks at the results for the Green Party in Tennessee. Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

The Socialist Workers Party nominee for U.S. House in Iowa’s 3rd district, David Rosenfeld, polled 6,286 votes, 1.63% of the total. The district covers southwest Iowa and includes Des Moines. The race in this district between the two major parties was hard fought, with two incumbents running against each other due to redistricting and reapportionment. Republican Tom Latham received 202,000, and Democrat Leonard Boswell received 168,632. An independent candidate, Scott Batcher, polled 9,352. Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

At last month’s election, the only two candidates on the ballot for U.S. House, Kansas 3rd district, were Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder and Libertarian nominee Joel Balam. The district includes Wyandotte County, Kansas, which contains Kansas City, Kansas. In Wyandotte County, Balam polled 18,589 votes, and Yoder received 19,853 votes.

In the district as a whole, Balam received 92,675 votes, whereas Yoder received 201,087. Balam’s Read more »