Another New Hampshire Ballot Access Reform Bill

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On January 17, a blog post appeared on this web page, describing a bill introduced in the New Hampshire legislature to ease ballot access, HB 153. There is a second ballot access improvement bill pending, HB 152. HB 152 changes the definition of “political party” from a group that polled 4% of the vote in the last election for either Governor or U.S. Senator, to one that polled 2% of the vote for either of those races. New Hampshire elects its Governor every two years.

HB 152 would also say that only parties that meet the 4% vote test would be entitled to a primary election. Parties that polled as much as 2%, but under 4%, would nominate by convention at their own expense. HB 152 is introduced by the same legislators who introduced HB 153. Thanks to Howard Wilson for this news.

Washington State Bill to Require Paid Circulators to Register with Secretary of State

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Washington State Senator Sharon Nelson (D-West Seattle) has introduced SB 5297. It requires circulators for a ballot measure or a recall to register with the Secretary of State, if they are paid by a “signature gathering business.” Circulators must register within 72 hours after collecting their first signature. They must register separately for each petition that they circulate. They must submit a photo of themselves that shows face, neck and shoulders. They must keep this photo and a copy of their registration papers with them while they are working, and show them to anyone who asks.

Any paid circulator who “knowingly submits one invalid signature” is barred from registering again for five years. Paid circulators who don’t follow the law may be fined up to $500.

The bill only covers paid circulators who work for a “signature gathering business”, but not circulators who work directly for a candidate or a political party. “Signature gathering business” is defined as a business whose primary activity or primary source of revenue is gathering signatures for ballot measures, initiatives, or recall petitions.” Thanks to Ballot Box News for news of this bill.

Massachusetts State Court Holds Trial Over Legislative Race Settled by One Vote

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One Massachusetts state legislative race from November 2, 2010 is still not settled. The original tally showed the Republican nominee defeating the Democratic incumbent by one vote, but the Democrat then sued to overturn the results. See this story. One witness testified that he was not permitted to vote. Other evidence was taken over one ballot in which the voter seems to have changed his or her mind while voting, and voted for the Democrat, but then crossed that off and voted for the Republican.

Delaware Bill to Ban Fusion Passes First Hurdle

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On January 19, the Delaware House Administration passed HB 11, which is intended to ban fusion. However, the bill is more restrictive than that. It makes it illegal for any political party to nominate someone who is not a member of that party. The bill does exempt presidential and vice-presidential candidates, however.

The U.S. Supreme Court said in Tashjian v Republican Party of Connecticut, 479 U.S. 208, on page 215, “Were the State to provide that only Party members might be selected as the Party’s chosen nominees for public office, such a prohibition of potential association with nonmembers would clearly infringe upon the rights of the Party’s members under the First Amendment to organize with like-minded citizens in support of common political goals.” The sponsor of the bill, Representative Earl Jaques, says his goal is to stop any candidate’s name from being listed more than once on the ballot. It doesn’t follow logically that, therefore, he should tell parties that they can’t nominate a non-member.

Virginia House Passes Bill Moving 2011 Primary from June to August

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Virginia elects members of its state legislature in odd years, including 2011. Normally Virginia primaries are in June (for office other than President). On January 19, the Virginia House unanimously passed HB 1507, which moves this year’s primary from June 14 to August 23. The bill also moves the petition for minor party and independent candidates, for 2011 only, from June 14 to August 23.

This bill is needed because the state won’t have time to draw legislative district boundaries, unless the primary is postponed.

Virginia has no statewide offices up this year. The state executive positions are only up in the odd years that follow presidential election years, such as 2009 and 2013.

Intelligence Squared Sponsors Debate: “The Two-Party System is Making America Ungovernable”

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Intelligence Squared is a forum that gathers together experts to debate public policy, every month. The moderator is usually John Donvan, an ABC News correspondent who was once ABC’s White House Correspondent. The debates are held in New York city and can be heard on National Public Radio and seen on Bloomberg TV. Also they can be seen at www.iq2oz.com, and are archived there.

The February 15 debate is titled “The Two-Party System is Making America Ungovernable.” Speaking in the affirmative are David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, and Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post. Speaking in the negative are author Zev Chafets and satirist P. J. O’Rourke. Attendance costs $40, and the debate runs from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The location is NYU Skirball Center, 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South, Manhattan. Thanks to Michael Edelstein for this news.