Connecticut, like all states, changes the boundaries of its U.S. House districts, and its legislative districts, after each census. Connecticut law says a party that is not qualified statewide can still be ballot-qualified for any particular district if that party polled at least 1% in the last election for that particular district office. Connecticut law, since 2004, also says that a party’s qualified status within any particular district does not disappear just because the district changes its boundaries, as long as some fragment of the old district is still within the new district.
This is especially beneficial to the Working Families Party, which has qualified status in all five of the state’s U.S. House districts, and in 22 of the state’s 36 State Senate districts, and in 59 of the state’s 151 state assembly districts. Also, the Green Party has qualified status in three U.S. House districts, three State Senate districts, and four Assembly districts. The Libertarian Party has it in one State Senate district and one Assembly district. The Independent Party has it in one U.S. House district, four State Senate districts, and eight Assembly districts.
The Connecticut policy contrasts with Illinois policy. Illinois says that if a district boundary changes in the slightest degree, qualified status is eliminated. The Green Party is currently hoping the Illinois State Supreme Court will reverse that policy.
Some fragment = ONE housing unit ???
Madness.
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End the madness.
P.R. and nonpartisan App.V
Equal nominating petitions.
This is the first redistricting since the law was changed. The old law was like the IL law.
The whole concept of district-qualified parties is pretty stupid.
In a state like Connecticut which has party registration, it would be simpler to base qualification on registration, rather than past election results. This would work even if districts were changed.
#3, your state, Texas, permits a county party to be ballot-qualified, even if it isn’t qualified statewide. What’s wrong with that?
#4 County boundaries (rarely) change, and they are only qualified for county and precinct offices within the county.
Note: Texas offices are classified as:
Statewide:
District (legislature, Congress, judicial district, etc.);
County (county judge, sheriff, county law judges);
Precinct (which is a district within a county for electing county commissioner, constable, justice of the peace; county school board).
Legislative districts entirely within a county are still district offices; as are district judicial offices, even when the judicial district is coterminous with a county.
Also there is no qualification of county parties based on previous election results, they must requalify each election. So it is more like it is based on registration.