Connecticut Representative Devin Carney (R-Old Saybrook) has introduced proposed House Bill 5303, to ease the definition of a qualified minor party. Current law says that if a group polls 1% for any particular race, then it is ballot-qualified just for that one race in the next election. The bill would say that if a group gets 1% for a statewide race, it is then ballot-qualified for all the statewide races.
The bill is just a proposed bill so far, so the exact language hasn’t been drafted. If the eventual draft says that the status lasts for the next two elections, then the Libertarian Party would be on the 2016 statewide ballot automatically, because it got over 1% for U.S. Senate in 2012 (and there was no U.S. Senate election in 2014). Under existing law, the Libertarian Party is on automatically in 2016 for U.S. Senate but not for President.
Even if the bill, when drafted, says the 1% vote test only applies to the next election (instead of the next two elections), if it were enacted, it would put the Green Party on the 2016 ballot for President and U.S. Senate, because Greens received over 1% in 2014 for Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Comptroller. Also, if enacted, it would put the Working Families Party and the Independent Party on the 2016 ballot for President, because each of them polled over 1% for all the statewide races in 2014, but neither got 1% for President in 2012. The Working Families Party has never been on for President in Connecticut, and the Independent Party in 2012 ran Rocky Anderson for President and he got less than 1%.
Representative Carney also introduced proposed House Bill 5304, which would put the names of the qualified minor parties on the voter registration form. Currently the form only mentions parties that got 20% for Governor in the last election. Parties that got 20% for Governor in the last election are the only parties entitled to a primary, and they are on the ballot automatically for all partisan offices, even those that they didn’t contest in the previous election. Thanks to Joshua Katz for this news.