Newly-elected North Carolina State Representative Stephen LaRoque (R-Kinston) is ready to introduce a ballot access reform bill, as soon as the legislature convenes on January 26. It would lower the number of signatures for a newly-qualifying party from 2% of the last gubernatorial vote (now 85,379 signatures) to exactly 10,000 signatures. It would lower the number of signatures for a statewide independent candidate from that same 2%, to exactly 5,000 signatures. It would lower the number for U.S. House candidates to 1,000 (the current requirement for independent candidates for U.S. House is now 4% of the number of registered voters, which is over 15,000 signatures).

Free the Vote, a North Carolina organization that works on election law issues, has this press release about the bill. The press release has a link to the text of the bill, which has already been prepared by employees of the legislature. LaRoque has been interested in election law for some time. He is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that was filed by residents of Kinston, who are trying to implement the popular vote in that city to convert city elections from partisan elections to non-partisan elections. The U.S. Justice Department refused to let that measure be implemented. One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to let the city convert itself to non-partisan elections is an independent voter who wants to be a candidate for city office, and who complains that under the partisan structure, an independent candidate has a very difficult time getting on the ballot. If the LaRoque ballot access bill were to pass, that would ameliorate that particular plaintiff’s complaint.