This case was last discussed on IPR here.
A decision came out today and discussed here on Ballot Access News.
Arizona Libertarian Party Loses Ballot Access Case
By Caryn Ann Harlos on July 10, 2017 8:08 PM
Caryn Ann Harlos
Caryn Ann Harlos is a paralegal residing in Castle Rock, Colorado and presently serving as the Region 1 Representative on the Libertarian National Committee and is a candidate for LNC Secretary at the 2018 Libertarian Party Convention. Articles posted should NOT be considered the opinions of the LNC nor always those of Caryn Ann Harlos personally. Caryn Ann's goal is to provide information on items of interest and (sometimes) controversy about the Libertarian Party and minor parties in general not to necessarily endorse the contents.
The volunteer effort is going well though they don’t know, at this time, if they’ll come up with enough signatures to cross the finish line. The group is very active so there’s reason to be optimistic. One potential wrench is a rival petition. Another group filed their own, literally copying Grassroots Citizens Concerned, two months later. The motivation of the latter group is unknown. It was filed by a former City of Phoenix mayor that filed a successful initiative to propose Top Two a few years ago (luckily it was trounced at the ballot box). The good news is that his efforts have been a success in the past. Maybe this effort will be too. But Johnson is a snake and a liar and part of me is left wondering if this isn’t an attempt to split signatures.
Bondurant said: “Grassroots Citizens Concerned
http://apps.azsos.gov/election/2018/general/initiatives.htm ”
Does this initiative have any realistic chance of qualifying for the ballot? I’m pretty sure that they have no money to hire signature gatherers, so therefore it is not likely to make the ballot.
I hope that it does make the ballot, but I just seriously doubt that it will happen unless there is money behind it.
@ Andy
Efforts are underway to shed light on our legislatures attempt to usurp the right of Arizonans to petition for initiatives and referendums. Hope there will be success in that endeavor.
Grassroots Citizens Concerned
http://apps.azsos.gov/election/2018/general/initiatives.htm
There is a real attack going on across the nation to suppress dissent at the ballot box. The attacks have been against minor party and independent candidates, as well as against the initiative, referendum, and recall process.
The Libertarian Party of Arizona needs to continue to fight this with an appeal, and in the interim, they should work on a get out the vote effort to get enough people to cast write in votes for their candidates in the Libertarian primaries so their candidates can appear on the general election ballot. This is the only way to get candidates of a ballot qualified party (other than the presidential candidate of a ballot qualified party, as presidential candidates are exempted from this) on the ballot in the general elections, unless you can fulfill the petition requirement to get them on the primary ballot, but this requirement was increased, by five times I believe, over what it used to be (and note that only registered Libertarians and registered independents can sign the primary ballot access petitions).
It should be clear that this bill was written with the intent of keeping Libertarian Party candidates off the ballot in Arizona.
Another bill was recently passed in Arizona that is going to make it more difficult to qualify initiative and referendum petitions for the ballot.
Jim Riley over at BAN has the answer to all this just like he always does. If Andy is right about government plants this guy is definitely one!
The most disgusting part of the opinion turns a blind eye to the fact that the Green Party is permitted to place nominees on the Arizona general election ballot with the greatest of ease (even with one write-in in the Green Party primary), yet the Green Party has many fewer registered voters in Arizona than the Libertarian Party. The judge says it isn’t discriminatory because the legislature didn’t purposely engineer that outcome. There is no evidence to support what the judge concluded; and furthermore discriminatory laws are unconstitutional even if there was no intent to discriminate on the part of the legislature.
Yes, BAN says an appeal is being planned.
Any word on whether the LP will appeal to the 9th circuit?
Doug Marks is willing to try to qualify for US Senate (L).
https://www.doug2018.com
Disappointed but not surprised. Par for the course. I remain thankful for everyone that has put time into the case over the past few years. It’s a cavalcade of wanton corruption here in AZ. To my knowledge there is going to be a few candidates willing to navigate this cesspool.
Terrible court ruling.
“U.S. District Court Upholds Arizona Primary Petition Requirement”
“It is very likely that the party will appeal to the Ninth Circuit.”
This law has certainly crushed the Arizona Libertarian Party from running candidates.