Donald Trump Is Now in the Lock Box

New York election law makes the term 'byzantine' seem like a good thing. The Empire State has what's called a "lock box," which is a rule that requires voters to register in a party almost a year before the next primary election -- actually the rule sets registration time by the general election, but in fact the biggest impact in on the ability of voters to vote in a primary election. If you change parties, you must wait until after the next general election to be recognized as a member of your new party.

Trump leaving the GOP?...not in a New York minute (By Kerry Picket, Washington Times) Trump could run as an independent, even if he was still a registered Republican. He would just need that party's permission and meet that state's particular requirements from whatever line he chooses to run on. For example, if he wanted to run on the Independence Party line in New York state, he would need a Wilson-Pekula (a New York legal term granting permission to run on a party's line that you are not a member of) from that party.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Elizabeth Edwards and the third party candidates (Inside Nevada Politics blog)
• MSM Mostly Mum While Blogosphere Boils Over Hillary/Edwards Scheme to Limit Debate Participation (NewsBusters)
• McCain Iraq war position anti independent, pro conservative (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Nader - Dems shut out smaller parties (New Hampshire Union Leader)
• Pure Horserace: A Midyear Review (CBS News )
• Washington Post Op-Ed Contains Election Law Misinformation (Ballot Access News)
• Independents Roil Vote-Bloomberg run revives spoiler role (Hartford Courant)
• Bloomberg needs 'post-partisan' policy agenda (By Morton Kondracke, Billings Gazette)
• DC Mayor Fenty Plans to Endorse Obama (Washington Post)
• Obama Dems dream candidate (Metromix - Chicago)
• Obama takes spotlight at NAACP forum (Wilmington Star)
• The Ron Paul Movement (reasononline )

Election Law challenges slow going

Some Election Law Cases from 2002 are Still Pending (Ballot Access News) There are at least two election law cases filed in 2002 by minor parties or independent candidates that are still pending. One is the Alabama case filed by an independent candidate against Alabama’s 3% (of the last vote cast) petition. That has a hearing in the 11th circuit in Atlanta on March 20.
The other is the Arizona Libertarian Party’s case against a state law that forces the party to let independent voters vote in its primary. That case is still in U.S. District Court. Both sides have been waiting for over a year for the Judge to issue his opinion.