District Court, M.D. Alabama August 24, 2004, Civil Action 2:02CV644-T (Swanson v. Bennett)

OPINION

MYRON H. THOMPSON, District Judge.

In this lawsuit, plaintiffs Johnny Swanson III, Joseph Grimsley, and Frank Cobb challenge two election requirements: (1) a change in the deadline for independent-candidate registration effected by a new Alabama statute; and (2) Alabama’s requirement that independent candidates running for a non-Presidential office collect signatures in an amount equal to