Sunday, March 16, 2008

Ballot Access Laws Challenged State by State

Ballot Access News has reported that the most outspoken left Democrat, Kucinich, filed a ballot access suit in Texas, where he was kept off the Democratic party ballot for not pledging his support to whomever the Democrats nominated. Texas party and state ballot access rules are the toughtest in the U.S. - for a reason. No other party or state, BTW - requires such an oath.

Richard Winger, Editor of Ballot Access News also reports about a McCain case in Indiana which sets a new and perhaps unanticipated legal precedent beneficial to all petitioners. While wishing to not deprive voters a chance to vote for McCain over "meaningless technicalities," a stringent rule was rescinded. The board cannot do that for McCain without all parties making use of that decision.

The General amongst ballot access lawsuits has got to be Ralph Nader, who in 2oo7 filed a lawsuit against the DNC and several Democratic leaders, for their flagrant and harassingly unfounded lawsuits against the 2004 Nader-Camejo Presidential campaign. In Hawaii, progress seems to have been made. On the East Coast, several different suits are being combined into one and will be heard later this month or in April in Washington D.C.

Read more from Ballot Access News

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