On April 26, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer announced a package of bills to improve election laws. Included in the package are proposals to “reduce the number of signatures required for designating and nominating petitions, provide automatic ballot access for presidential candidates in primaries who qualify for federal matching funds, and eliminate restrictive and unnecessary petition requirements.”

The proposal covers access for the general election as well as the primary. The proposal for presidential primaries is already policy in New York for the Republican presidential primary, but not the Democratic presidential primary. Thanks to Bill Van Allen for this news.