On March 17, the New Mexico Senate passed SB 403 unanimously. It is an omnibus election law bill initiated by the organization of County Clerks, and contains a few ballot access improvements: (1) it moves the independent candidate petition deadline from early June to late June; (2) it lowers the number of signatures to qualify a new party in mid-term years, from one-half of 1% of the last presidential vote to one-half of 1% of the last gubernatorial vote; (3) it says that the blank petition forms for the petition to qualify a new party must be available at all times.
If the bill had been in effect in 2010, minor parties would have needed 2,796 signatures instead of 4,151 signatures. Even if this bill passes, New Mexico has other ballot access problems. The worst is that even after a minor party submits a petition to qualify itself, then it needs petition for each of its nominees (except presidential nominees). Also, the petition deadline for a new party petition is in April.
As you say, it’s a small improvement at best. We’re still the only state that has that ridiculous double petition law.
The more important signature requirement that should be reduced in New Mexico is that one that minor party candidates have to fulfill after their party is qualified for that ballot. That requirement should be reduced to being in ratio to the amount of registered voters they have as compared to Democrats and Republicans (both of whom are required to petition for individual candidates as well, but it is easier for them since they are much bigger parties).
The New Mexico major party nominees don’t need any signatures. If New Mexico treated Democrats and Republicans the way they treat minor parties, then the winners of major party primaries would be required to go get petitions after they had won the primary!
The petitions that Democrats and Republicans collect in New Mexico are to get themselves on the primary ballot. At that point they aren’t the nominees of their parties.