On May 15, the Missouri legislature adjourned. No election law bills of interest to most readers of this blog passed this year. The bill that came closest to passing was a bill to make it easier to qualify initiatives. Originally known as SB569, its contents were placed into HB228. It passed the House on April 23 but did not progress through the Senate.

Bills to make it more difficult to qualify initiatives, and to move the independent candidate petition deadline from July to March, failed to pass. A bill to bring back the straight-ticket device failed to pass.

Unfortunately, a bill to improve petitioning for new parties also failed to pass. It was SB 70, and it would have corrected a typographical error in the 1993 ballot access reform bill. Although generally petitions to qualify a new party in Missouri do not need to name that party’s nominees, due to a drafting error, if the party wants to run a candidate for president, the presidential candidate and also candidates for presidential elector must be shown on the petition. However, stand-in presidential candidates are permitted on the petition.

Bills to let cities and counties use Instant Runoff Voting for their own elections failed to pass. Thanks to Ken Bush for some of the news in this post.