New Mexico Senator Al Park (D-Albuquerque) has introduced HB 299, to provide that candidates seeking a place on a primary ballot may use a filing fee instead of a petition. The bill requires a fee of 4% of the annual salary. However, for state legislative candidates, the filing fee would be $100. The fee for offices that have no salary would be $50.
Richard:
Would this proposed legislation also apply to 3rd party candidates?
No, but I still hope it passes. After it is in place (if it does pass) it will be easier to get some relief for candidates not running in primaries.
Absolutely agree. I just wish that someone had convinced Andy Shugart’s attorney in Alabama to have worded the relief asked for in that suit to give candidates the option of paying a filing fee. I believe if we can also get the Courts to start hearing about the filing fee as an option to signatures, a Judge somewhere, someday just might agree.
Courts don’t write new laws; they merely judge already-existing laws. It wouldn’t be appropriate for Andy Shugart’s attorney to suggest what the law ought to be.