North Carolina State Senator Andrew C. Brock has said he will introduce a bill to ease North Carolina ballot access laws for minor parties and independent candidates. He is a Republican representing Rowan and Davie Counties in the central part of the state. He says he will introduce it in 2011, because the 2010 session is too short, and doesn’t begin until May 2010. Thanks to Jordan Greene for this news.
We also have several State House candidates who have expressed interest in, or committments, that they would sponsor the bill (or a bill) for ballot access reform if elected as well. The main reason we have to wait until 2011, is because no new bills can be introduced into the NC General Assembly again until the beginning of the 2011 Session. Only currently introduced bills (or budget/appropriation) bills can be heard in the current sessions and 2010.
So we are on our way to some momentum in NC.
Richard, I’ve noticed that in many of your posts sitting legislators fighting for ballot access reform are more often Republicans. Any reason why one party seems to be more amenable (without taking into account the fact that neither party ever seems to be too interested in ballot access reform)?
“Ease restrictions”? Or, “We’re still going to rape you, we’ll just be a bit more gentle.”
Republican state legislators in Southern states seem to be somewhat more friendly to minor party ballot access than southern Democrats. Sponsors for better ballot access in recent years have been Republicans in Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
Maybe that’s because it wasn’t so long ago that Republicans were in the minority in Southern state legislatures, and they can remember what it is like to be marginalized. Outside the South, and also in West Virginia, Democrats have tended to be more helpful. I can’t remember whether helpful Texas legislators recently have been Democrats or Republicans; maybe a Texas can help us out.
Mr. Robinson,
You can read both the bill that was introduced into the State Senate in the 2009-2010 Session that failed, of which St. Senator Brock co-sponsored on the NC General Assembly Website at:
http://ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2009&BillID=S731&submitButton=Go
It is a slightly altered version of the bill the NCFPE proposed. We are working with St. Senator Brock (and others) to have a very similar bill introduced in 2011, the bill draft can be read at the NCFPE’s website by visiting at http://www.NCFPE.com and clicking on the Electoral Freedom Act banner on the right.
The bill will greatly reduce the signature burden, and equalize it with some of the surrounding states, or rather making it closer to those like SC. We would however prefer, to have no restrictions, and make it dead even with the major parties, but the NCFPE and I believe it would be best to take it in steps and make some progress than to try to do it all at once, and have a hugely amended bill that does not resemble our proposed legislation.