MINOR PARTIES SUE ALABAMA OVER BALLOT ACCESS
From Ballot Access News: -
http://www.ballot-access.org/2012/01/30/ballot-access-news-january-2012-print-ed\
ition/

Any day now, the Alabama Constitution, Green, and Libertarian Parties will file
a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, arguing that the Alabama petition deadline of
March 13 is too early. Stein v Chapman, The 2011 legislature moved the deadline
from June to March.

In 1991, the 11th circuit struck down the old Alabama ballot access law for new
parties, which required a petition of 1% of the last gubernatorial vote, due in
April. The existing law requires a petition of 3% of the last gubernatorial
vote. No minor party has completed the Alabama statewide petition since 2000,
when the Libertarians did it. At the time, the deadline was in July.

Furthermore, the 11th circuit decision, New Alliance Party of Alabama v Hand,
concerned ballot access in a mid-term year, not a presidential year. The U.S.
Supreme Court said in 1983 in Anderson v Celebrezze that states have a
diminished interest in keeping presidential candidates off their general
election ballot, than candidates for other office.

The state will probably argue that the minor parties should qualify their
presidential candidates using the independent petition procedure, which only
requires 5,000 signatures, due in September. But in Storer v Brown, in 1974, the
U.S. Supreme Court said that the minor party and independent candidate
approaches to politics are "entirely different", and states must have adequate
procedures for both.

-Friends Lawsuits cost money! Anyone who can help, please send in a few bucks.
Your ten to twenty dollars helps the Party fight these battles against the Ds
and Rs just to gain ballot access. Some of you can spare a Benjamin or even five
Benjamins ($500) to really make a difference. It's always best to "Give until it
feels GOOD" !!! Whatever you can spare PLEASE send to: -

http://www.lpalabama.org/pages/contribute

Thanks! "Liberty in our Lifetime"