By Richard Winger On December 11, Arkansas filed its brief in Libertarian Party of Arkansas v Martin, e.d., 4:15cv-635. The issue is a new law that says qualified minor parties (which nominate by convention) must nominate all their candidates for public office, except President and Vice-President, at least one year before the general election. No state has ever before required any type of party to nominate its candidates in the year before a November general election.
Arkansas major parties choose all their non-presidential nominees at their primaries on March 1, 2016, almost four months later. The state only cites one precedent …read more