This week, ballot access improvement bills in Missouri, North Carolina, and North Dakota, have all made some headway.
In Missouri, SB84 has passed the Senate policy committee unanimously. It lets a new party that circulate the party petition decide for itself, after it has finished the petition, whether or not to run a presidential candidate. Current law, because of a drafting error made in 1993, forces such a party to list its presidential elector candidates on the party petition, which cuts down on the party’s flexibility.
In North Carolina, H88 passed the House Committee with only one “no” vote. It cuts petition requirements down to only one-fourth of the current requirements.
In North Dakota, HB1433 passed the Senate unanimously with the amendment that makes it possible for a new party to stay on the ballot in mid-term years, if it polls 5% for either Secretary of State or Attorney General. Since that bill wasn’t in the original bill, it must now return to the House.
In Tennessee, HB 1776, to allow labels for candidates who use the independent petition procedure, had a hearing on March 23. The legislators had many questions which could not be answered at the hearing, so another hearing will be held in a week.
Two Minnesota legislative bills might be of some interest. One bill changes the definition of a major political party for purposes of campaign finance law to include any party that runs a certain number of candidates for office.
I have not had much luck trying to get a bill introduced that would extetnd the time period that a ballot access law petition could be circulated. As I understand it now, it is a two week period in the summer, when it should be extended two at least when college students are on campus.