New Hampshire HB 48, the ballot access bill, is being redrafted. The original bill lowered the number of votes needed for a group to meet the definition of “political party” from 4% to 2%.

The amended bill retains that idea, but provides that a party that polled 2% but under 4% would nominate by convention, not by primary. Sixteen other states have a somewhat similar system, in which there are two tiers of qualified party, big ones that nominate by primary and smaller ones that nominate by convention.

The amended bill also eliminates the distribution requirement that is now in the law for statewide candidate petitions. The existing law requires 3,000 signatures, but 1,500 must be from each of the state’s two U.S. House districts. The bill will eliminate the distribution requirement. In 2004, the New Hampshire Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate, Ken Blevins, submitted over 3,000 valid signatures. He was still kept off the ballot because he didn’t have 1,500 valid from each of the two districts.

Finally, the amended bill will lower the number of signatures needed for a group to gain the ability to nominate a full slate of candidates by convention, from 3% of the last gubernatorial vote, to something smaller, such as 5,000 or 6,000 signatures.