Six North Carolina Republican representatives have introduced HB 185, the “Ballot Reform Act.” It would alter the order of political parties on the ballot, and abolish the straight-ticket device.

Under current law, parties with at least 5% of the registration are listed on the ballot in alphabetical order. Because “D” comes before “R” in the alphabet, this means the Democratic Party is always first on the ballot, and Republicans are always second. The bill would say that the party listed first on the ballot is the party that elected the Governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. The bill doesn’t seem to take cognizance that conceivably, an independent would have won the most recent gubernatorial election; or a party with registration of less than 5% might have won that election. The bill says parties with less than 5% of the registration would appear next (in alphabetical order) followed by independent candidates.

The bill also abolishes the straight-ticket device. The Senate bill that abolishes the straight-ticket device, SB 82, does not have any provision about the order of parties on the ballot. Thanks to Kevin Hayes for the news about the bill.