On December 14, Missouri State Senator Joan Bray introduced a bill to improve the ballot access procedures for newly-qualifying parties. It is SB 679.

There is a flaw in the existing Missouri petition procedure for new and previously unqualified parties. That procedure is a party petition, a petition that asks potential signers if they support placing that party on the ballot. Such petitions normally don’t include the names of any candidates. Thirty-nine states have such procedures, including Missouri. After the petition has been circulated and found to have enough valid signatures, the group becomes a qualified party. It then chooses its nominees.

The problem with the Missouri procedure is that, because of a drafting flaw in 1993, if the group wants to nominate someone for president, the petition must carry the name of the presidential candidate and the group’s nominees for presidential elector. This peculiar provision for president contradicts the entire purpose of having a party-petition procedure, which is to let a group get on the ballot before it has chosen its nominees. SB 679 would correct the error. Thanks to Ken Bush for finding a sponsor for this bill and for the news.