California Bill to Ease Qualifications for New or Previously Unqualified Parties

California Assemblymember Chad Mayes has introduced AB 446. It would make it easier for a new or previously unqualified party to get on the ballot. For a party that merely wants to be on the upcoming ballot for president, it would reduce the petition from 10% of the last gubernatorial vote to 1% of the last gubernatorial vote.

It would also ease the vote test for a party to remain qualified, from 2% for a statewide office to one-half of 1% in the primary. Thanks to Mike Feinstein for this news.


Comments

California Bill to Ease Qualifications for New or Previously Unqualified Parties — 10 Comments

  1. Richard:
    So is it accurate that a party fulfilling the vote test will still only need registration of 1/15th of 1%?
    Also, would this now include any additional state-wide offices become elected in the future or U. S. Senate elections in Gubernatorial years?

  2. It includes all partisan offices chosen by all the voters, so it includes US Senator.

  3. The current requirements serve chiefly to prevent the Democratic and Republican Parties from having to address the arguments of principled and reflective third parties, of which the American Solidarity Party is a prime example.

  4. Due to the CA top 2 primary and the CA gerrymander comm and the many illegal invaders in CA being counted in the Census —

    CA Legis is near the worst *representative* State Legis.

    1/2 or less votes x 1/2 gerrymander areas = 1/4 or less CONTROL = OLIGARCHY.
    —-

    NOOO primaries
    NOOO G Comms
    ONE election Day
    Equal Nom Pets
    PR
    APPV
    TOTSOP

  5. The Common Sense Party is probably the main one it was intended for. But I’m hoping my American Solidarity Party can take advantage of it, and perhaps the California National Party can.

  6. California should recognize parties with at least 100 registrants, a filed set of rules, a state executive committee chosen directly or indirectly by members, a biennial state convention, and an annual registration (fee of $50?).

    Write-in affiliation would be eliminated. Instead new parties would file a petition with at least 100 registered voters, whose registration would be changed if the petition was accepted.

    Candidates whose expressed party preference was for a political party could have that preference expressed on the ballot.

    Candidates with no party preference, could have “independent”, “no party preference”, “non-affiliated”, or “nonpartisan” printed on the ballot. Any candidate could decline to have anything printed on the ballot.

    California would send ballots/communications to party registrants in odd years. California counties would do ballot collection and signature validation. The ballots would be turned over to the party for counting, though a party could pay for vote tabulation by a county, or a private firm, or do a hand count. Parties who preferred a convention form of governance could simply have a mailout printed.

    Parties without an active party structure: Reform, Natural Law, California National, Common Sense, American Solidarity, Peoples, etc. would be considered dormant with a process to reactivate. We can not determine whether those who wrote in the names of these parties intended to support the informal leaders.

    Perhaps a petition with 100 current or new registrants could result in calling of an organizing convention.

    Party names could not be “Independent” or “Independent” in front of another word. Use of place names in front of existing party names would also be invalid (e.g., California Republican”, etc. or likely cause confusion.

    With a formal structure, party members could agree to a name change.

    Transition: “Independents” and registrants with registration below 100 would have a 2-year transition period. This would provide for an opportunity for new parties to organize which might attract “Independents”, or formally organize.

    After that, “Independents”, etc. would have a reasonable period, say 3 months, to change their affiliation.

    The presidential preference primary will be converted to a blanket primary as used in 2000. This does not violate California Democratic Party v. Jones, since there is no forced assocation.

    If a party wished to have someone other than the primary winner appear on the presidential ballot, they could petition. For example in 2016 or 2020 California Democrats could not have been denied the ability to place Bernie Sanders on the general election ballot. California could have required Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden to qualify by petition. The party could choose not to place Sanders on the ballot and endorse someone else.

    Alternatively, votes cast in the primary could be counted as petition signature.

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