Source: Ballot Access News

On November 5, 2013, Green Party members won these non-partisan elections: Anna Trevorrow to the Portland, Maine, School Board; Josh Plourde to the Bangor, Maine, city council; Cam Gordon to the Minneapolis city council; and Brian Cummins to the Cleveland, Ohio, city council. Also, Green Party members won 16 non-partisan local races in Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

U.S. District Court Judge Philip S. Gutierrez has set a status conference for May 20 at 3 p.m. in Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County v Bowen, central district, 2:10cv-2488. He asked that all attorneys appear in person, rather than by phone, which suggests that the hearing will be about the substance of the issue in the case as well as about scheduling. The issue is the constitutionality of various California Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

On April 23, the California Assembly Elections Committee defeated ACA 10 and AB 1075. The bills would have asked the voters in 2014 if they wish to amend the top-two primary system. Current law says the top two vote-getters from the June primary run against each other in November. The bills would have said that if anyone running for state partisan office gets as much as 60% in June, that person is elected and the Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

On April 23, AB 1419 passed the California Assembly Elections Committee unanimously. This is the bill that says a newly-qualifying party that only wishes to participate in the presidential election may get on the ballot as late as July. The existing law requires newly-qualifying parties to qualify by early January of the election year.

If the bill is signed into law, then Hawaii will have the nation’s earliest mandatory Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

The California Assembly Elections Committee will hear ACA 10 and AB 1075 on Tuesday, April 23. The hearing starts at 1:30 p.m. ACA 10 and AB 1075 change the top-two system. They provide that if a candidate for partisan state office receives at least 60% of the total vote in the June primary, then that candidate is elected, and the office will not appear on the November ballot. The sponsor is Assemblymember Kristen Olsen (R-Modesto). Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

On April 22, the Peace & Freedom Party filed its opening brief in the Ninth Circuit in Peace & Freedom Party v Bowen, 13-15085. The issue is whether the California Secretary of State exceeded her authority when she deleted Peta Lindsay’s name from the list of 2012 presidential primary candidates submitted to her by the Peace & Freedom Party. The Secretary of State did so because Lindsay didn’t meet the Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

Minor party activists are working very hard to influence state legislators in at least four states, to either support bills for easier ballot access, or to oppose bills that make it worse.

In Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Committee recently e-mailed every state legislator. Also Constitution Party activists recently met with the Senator who Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

Fairfax, California, a small city in Marin County, is believed to be the only city in the United States in which a majority of members of the city’s governing body are members of the Green Party. Fairfax, like all cities in California, uses non-partisan elections. Fairfax has a city council of five members. Recently one of the Greens resigned from the city council, so the remaining Greens, still in the majority, Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

California State Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) will not attempt to advance SCA 12 and SB 712 this year. This is the proposed constitutional amendment and bill to make it more difficult for write-in candidates in a partisan primary to advance to the general election. Current law says whoever comes in second in the June primary for Congress and state office advances to the November ballot. The bill would have said if Read more »

Source: Ballot Access News

On April 11, the 9th circuit refused to rehear Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County v Bowen, 11-55316. This is the case over California’s law that won’t let petitioners circulate a candidate petition if the circulator doesn’t live in the candidate’s district. The original Ninth Circuit opinion, issued on March 6, said that the plaintiffs do have standing. The state then asked for a rehearing en banc, Read more »