Category Archives: ballot access

“How late would be too late to replace Biden on the November ballot?”

July 11, 2024, 3:26 pmballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

Great analysis by Jessica Huseman at Votebeat, digging into the state laws in several key states. A snippet: Other news media so far have amply covered the question of how, under the Democratic Party’s rules, Biden could be replaced before… Continue reading

What’s the Real Biden Decision Deadline?

July 11, 2024, 4:45 amballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

The Washington Post reports: Should Biden bow out now — before he officially becomes the party’s nominee — legal experts say replacing him on the ballot would be relatively straightforward. The process would become significantly more complex and legally… Continue reading

Who Says Democrats and Republicans Never Agree?

July 10, 2024, 6:04 pmballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

NOTUS has this from an anonymous House Democrat: “It’s pretty wild when Biden loyalists and the Heritage Foundation are circulating the same narratives about how hard it would be for Dems to replace Biden at the top of the ticket,… Continue reading

Biden’s Plan to Run Out the Clock

July 10, 2024, 5:07 amballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

NYT’s analysis finds that time is on the President’s side, in his effort to resist pressure to step aside. As noted here, he’s aided by the DNC’s plan to have a pre-convention “virtual roll call,” originally hatched to address… Continue reading

“Here’s how the process to replace Biden would work if he withdraws”

July 8, 2024, 5:32 amballot access, political partiesDan Tokaji

From The Hill, with this on the impact of the pre-convention “virtual roll call,” originally planned in response to the Ohio ballot access problem: Typically, the Democratic presidential candidate is officially selected at the Democratic National Convention, but this… Continue reading

No, States Would Not Be Forced to Keep Biden on the Ballot If He’s Not the Democratic Party’s Nominee from the DNC

July 3, 2024, 7:35 amballot accessRick Hasen

I have been seeing stories like this and this citing to a Heritage memo saying that in some states it would be hard for Democrats to list someone other than Biden on the ballot if Democrats nominate someone else at… Continue reading

“Cash Crunch Squeezes Kennedy Amid Costly Fight for Ballot Spots”

July 2, 2024, 7:01 amballot access, campaign financeRick Hasen

NYT: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign is spending heavily, amassing steep debts and resorting to layoffs as it becomes almost singularly focused on the costly effort of placing his name on state ballots. The troubles, laid bare in… Continue reading

“Paid operatives linked to a GOP firm are helping Cornel West in Arizona”

July 1, 2024, 6:32 amballot access, chicanery, third partiesRick Hasen

NBC News: A dozen paid operatives registered with Arizona’s secretary of state on Sunday to collect signatures on behalf of left-wing presidential candidate Cornel West, listing their employer as a Republican-leaning firm that recently worked for GOP House candidate Blake… Continue reading

“What Is ‘Fusion Voting’? Just a Way to Save the Country, That’s All”

June 19, 2024, 6:49 amalternative voting systems, ballot access, political polarizationRick Hasen

Daniel Cantor and Bill Kristol in The New Republic.

“Federal appeals court to reconsider case affecting Attorney General Dave Yost’s authority to block proposed ballot issues”

June 17, 2024, 9:12 amballot access, direct democracyRick Hasen

Cleveland.com: A federal appeals court will reconsider a recent decision that could affect Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s ability to block future proposed ballot-issue campaigns via a state law that gives his office authority to sign off on proposed… Continue reading

“Operatives with GOP ties are helping Cornel West get on the ballot in a key state”

June 7, 2024, 4:19 pmballot accessRick Hasen

NBC News: Cornel West’s independent presidential campaign is broke. His former campaign manager says he knows nothing about ballot access. And he spent more on graphic design than petition-gathering in his most recent campaign finance report. But tens… Continue reading

“Kennedy’s Campaign Is Accused of Lying About His New York Residency”

June 7, 2024, 6:56 amballot accessRick Hasen

NYT: A group aligned with President Biden is challenging Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s New York ballot petition, saying his campaign lied about his New York residency. The group, Clear Choice, says he long ago moved to the West Coast and… Continue reading

“‘Swindlers,’ ‘Hijacking,’ and ‘Blackmail’; Inside the Kennedy campaign’s Natural Law Party meltdown in Florida.”

June 6, 2024, 4:32 pmballot access, chicaneryRick Hasen

Must-read Marc Caputo: AMID VOTER DISENCHANTMENT with a Trump-Biden rematch, third-party activist Joseph Wendt believed 2024 could transform American politics. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might be the candidate to do it. “It seemed this was the Year of the… Continue reading

Illinois court issues permanent injunction for law that changed ballot access rules mid-election

June 5, 2024, 11:13 amballot accessDerek Muller

Following up on my earlier posts here and here, the order in Collazo v. Illinois State Board of Elections is here. The court found that strict scrutiny was the appropriate standard of review and that it failed; and… Continue reading