On November 9, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed SB 662. It eases ballot access for independent candidates for the legislature. Under the new law, such candidates need a petition signed by 5% of the last vote cast, due in June of election years. While this is a very harsh law, it is better than the old law, which required 10%, due in the year before the election.

All states now have procedures for independent candidates to get on the ballot, that are at or below 5% of the number of registered voters. The only exception is New Hampshire. In some state House districts in New Hampshire, the number of signatures required (150 signatures) works out to more than 5% of the number of registered voters. New Hampshire state house districts vary widely in population. Some districts elect 8 or 9 representatives and have 8 or 9 times as many people as certain other districts that only elect one. But, the law irrationally requires 150 signatures, regardless of the size of the district.