[EL] Breaking News (Perry lawsuit against Va); more news

Richard Winger richardwinger at yahoo.com
Tue Dec 27 16:28:13 PST 2011


Nevertheless, Ralph Nader was put on the ballot in two states in 2000 after he complained about the out-of-state circulator ban, and he hadn't submitted the full required number of signatures in either case (Illinois and West Virginia).

Other instances when a minor party or an independent presidential candidate complained about a restriction other than the number of signatures, and did not submit the number of signatures, and still got put on the ballot, include:  (1) in 1984 the 9th circuit put the Populist Party on the ballot in Idaho.  The party had complained about the county distribution requirement and the early deadline, and the court ordered the party on to the ballot even though it had only gathered a few hundred signatures and the requirement was over 10,000; (2) in 1982 a US District Court put the Libertarian Party on the ballot in Kansas, even though it hadn't submitted any petition at all, and had no case against the number of signatures, but instead was complaining about the restriction that no one could circulate outside his or her precinct; (3) in 1986 a US District Court put the Libertarian Party on the ballot in Nevada, even though the petition it submitted was
 nowhere hear enough signatures and the party had no claim against the number of signatures, just the early petition deadline; (4) in 2008 and again in 2010, US District Courts in Ohio put multiple minor parties on the ballot even though they hadn't petitioned and had no claim against the number of signatures, just the early deadline; (5) in 1984, a US District Court put the Libertarian Party on the ballot in Oklahoma, even though it hadn't collected even one-third of the needed signatures and even though it had no claim against the number of signatures; the only claim was that the 3-month petitioning period was too short.

Also there were several states in 1976 in which Eugene McCarthy was put on the ballot by court order, even though he had not submitted any petition; his complaint was that the state had no procedure for independent presidential candidates, but one could have made the argument that he should have submitted the petition that would have been required for independent candidates for office other than President.

Richard Winger

415-922-9779

PO Box 470296, San Francisco Ca 94147

--- On Tue, 12/27/11, Rick Hasen <rhasen at law.uci.edu> wrote:

From: Rick Hasen <rhasen at law.uci.edu>
Subject: Re: [EL] Breaking News (Perry lawsuit against Va); more news
To: "Fredric Woocher" <fwoocher at strumwooch.com>
Cc: "law-election at uci.edu" <law-election at uci.edu>
Date: Tuesday, December 27, 2011, 4:12 PM


  
    
  
  
    It is
        worse than that Fred: it appears Perry did not even submit
        10,000 signatures total:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/perry-fails-to-qualify-for-va-ballot/2011/12/23/gIQAnqKWEP_story.html

        

      
    
      Perry’s campaign
          told state election officials that 11,911 signatures were
          provided, but a Republican familiar with the situation said
          that the Texas governor did not submit the required 10,000.
    
    

    

    On 12/27/2011 4:05 PM, Fredric Woocher wrote:
    
      
      
      
        Can someone with
              more knowledge of the facts in Virginia clarify the
              following for me:
         
        Did Perry (or
              Gingrich) submit signatures gathered by out-of-state
              circulators and have those signatures disqualified in
              sufficient numbers to have resulted in the petitions not
              qualifying, or is the claim simply that they would have
              been able to submit more signatures if the allegedly
              unconstitutional restriction had not existed and they had
              not abided by it?
         
        Perry's complaint
              seems to be ambiguous in this regard (probably
              intentionally), but If the claim is the latter, then I
              think the issue isn't just one of laches, but of a failure
              to state a claim, since he has not in fact submitted a
              sufficient number of signatures by the prescribed
              deadline.  On the other hand, if the claim is the former
              -- that signatures were wrongly disqualified pursuant to
              an unconstitutional condition imposed on the circulators
              -- then I don't believe laches should be a valid defense: 
              the claim was brought the moment it became ripe in that
              the injury was caused by enforcing the unconstitutional
              restriction.
         
        Fredric D. Woocher
        Strumwasser &
            Woocher LLP
        10940 Wilshire
            Blvd., Ste. 2000
        Los Angeles, CA
            90024
        fwoocher at strumwooch.com
        (310) 576-1233
         
        

        
        From:
          law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu
          [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On
            Behalf Of Rick Hasen

          Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2011 3:43 PM

          To: law-election at UCI.EDU

          Subject: [EL] Breaking News (Perry lawsuit against Va);
          more news

        

      
      
        Breaking
            News: Rick Perry Files Suit to Get on Va. Ballot 
        Posted
            on December 27, 2011 3:40 pm by Rick
              Hasen 
        
          You can access the complaint here. 
            The complaint focuses on Virginia’s ban on out-of-state
            circulators of petitions.  As I told
            the Washington Post in connection with a possible
            suit by Newt Gingrich on the same grounds, such a suit now
            faces long odds both legally and politically.  The initial
            hurdle is one of laches, the failure to bring suit
            before filing time.  This is an emergency of
            Perry’s (and Gingrich’s) own making.  Surely they knew of
            the requirement earlier.
          I fully expect the defendants to raise the laches defense. 
            On the merits (should a court reach it), the courts are
            mixed on the residency requirement for petition circulators,
            though there is law that could help Perry.   Perhaps most
            relevant is this in-chambers
              opinion of Chief Justice Roberts in Lux v.
              Rodrigues.  The Chief found that a related aspect of
            Virginia’s law could well be unconstitutional under recent
            Supreme Court precedent, and that Fourth Circuit authority
            to the contrary may no longer be good law, but he still
            denied the complaining candidate extraordinary injunctive
            relief.
          
            
          
        
        Posted
              in ballot
              access, primaries
          | Comments Off 
      
      
        “The
            Canvass: Special Edition: Expert Predictions for 2012″ 
        Posted
            on December 27, 2011 1:05 pm by Rick
              Hasen 
        
          Here.
          
            
          
        
        Posted
              in election
              administration | Comments
              Off 
      
      
        “Provoking
            a Virginia election law legal battle: How Gingrich and Perry
            could still get on the Virginia primary ballot” 
        Posted
            on December 27, 2011 12:42 pm by Rick
              Hasen 
        
          The Northern Virginia Lawyer blogs.
          
            
          
        
        Posted
              in ballot
              access, primaries
          | Comments Off 
      
      
        Toobin on South Carolina and Preclearance
        
        Posted
            on December 27, 2011 12:34 pm by Rick
              Hasen 
        
          Here,
            at the New Yorker‘s Daily Comment blog.
          I will have more to say on South Carolina and the VRA soon.
          
            
          
        
        Posted
              in voter id, Voting
              Rights Act |
          Comments Off 
      
      
        “Absentee Ballots Key to Florida Primary”
        
        Posted
            on December 27, 2011 11:03 am by Rick
              Hasen 
        
          Miami
                Herald: “More Florida Republicans — about
            370,000 — already have requested absentee ballots for the
            Jan. 31 primary than the number of Republicans who voted in
            the 2008 Iowa and New Hampshire contests combined.”
          
            
          
        
        Posted
              in absentee
              ballots |
          Comments Off 
      
      
        “D.C.
            panel issues decision defining preclearance standards” 
        Posted
            on December 27, 2011 11:01 am by Rick
              Hasen 
        
          This
              item appears at the Kuff’s World blog of the Houston
              Chronicle.
          
            
          
        
        Posted
              in redistricting, Voting Rights Act | Comments Off 
      
      “How
          the Virginia Republican Party Could Expand Voter Choice in its
          2012 Presidential Primary” 
      Posted
          on December 27, 2011 10:59 am by Rick
            Hasen 
      
        Richard Winger explains.
        
          
        
      
      Posted
            in primaries | Comments
            Off 
      -- 

        Rick Hasen

        Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science

        UC Irvine School of Law

        401 E. Peltason Dr., Suite 1000

        Irvine, CA 92697-8000

        949.824.3072 - office

        949.824.0495 - fax

        rhasen at law.uci.edu

        http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html

        http://electionlawblog.org

      
    
    

    -- 

      Rick Hasen

      Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science

      UC Irvine School of Law

      401 E. Peltason Dr., Suite 1000

      Irvine, CA 92697-8000

      949.824.3072 - office

      949.824.0495 - fax

      rhasen at law.uci.edu

      http://law.uci.edu/faculty/page1_r_hasen.html

      http://electionlawblog.org

    
  


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