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Originally Posted by Radar
The Libertarian Party is the third largest party in America. It's bigger than all other third parties combined.
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Uh... doesn't that make the others, 4th, 5th, etc, rather than 3rd parties?
BTW,
The Freedom Socialist Party has won a court decision protecting their records of donations.
Quote:
Linda Averill, a Freedom Socialist Party candidate for Seattle City Council in the 2003 primary, scored a second victory in federal court on July 15 when Judge Robert S. Lasnik made permanent a temporary injunction upholding the privacy rights of donors to her campaign.
The decision comes almost one year after the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) ordered Averill to turn over the names, addresses, and employer information of her contributors saying she had not presented sufficient evidence of harassment to comply with city public disclosure rules. Averill refused to do so and filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Seattle. Citing longstanding First Amendment protections for minor parties, Averill won a temporary injunction in August 2003.
Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission wrong
In making his final ruling, Lasnik said that the SEEC violated the free speech rights and freedom of association of Averill and her supporters by misapplying a Seattle ordinance governing campaign contributions. The city allows for exemptions from public disclosure requirements in cases where minor parties or candidates can show that they have a history of facing harassment, threats and persecution. The ordinance is designed to conform with Supreme Court rulings that balance First Amendment freedoms with public disclosure laws.
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