Virginia Delegate Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) has introduced HB 1667, to reduce the number of signatures for candidates running in a presidential primary from 10,000 signatures to 5,000. Currently, Virginia is the only state that requires more than 5,000 signatures for all presidential candidates running in a presidential primary. Some major party presidential candidates have had trouble getting on the ballot in Virginia’s presidential primary. For example, in 2008, Democrats Chris Dodd and Mike Gravel, and Republican Duncan Hunter, tried and failed. The requirement is considered so difficult, generally the state Democratic Party itself collects at least 5,000 signatures for all Democratic presidential candidates recognized by the party as legitimate, to help them attain 10,000.

The bill would also move the presidential primary from the second week of February, to the first week of March. Another bill, HB 1843, by Delegate Mark Cole (R-Fredericksburg) would also move the presidential primary to March, but it would not ease the signature burden.

No party, other than the Democratic and Republican Parties, has ever held a presidential primary in Virginia. The only other party that has been ballot-qualified in Virginia in the last forty years was the Reform Party, but it did not hold a presidential primary in Virginia in 1996, the only year it might have done so. Thanks to Josh Putnam of Frontloading HQ for this news.