On February 20, the Arizona House passed a carelessly-written bill to make presidential primary ballot access more difficult. Currently, presidential candidates only need to file a declaration of candidacy and demonstrate that they have a committee promoting their candidacy in Arizona.
HB 2379 requires one of three methods to get a presidential candidate on a primary ballot: (1) 1,000 signatures of party members; or (2) evidence that the candidate has qualified for primary season matching funds; or (3) evidence that the candidate is on the ballot in at least 20 other states. UPDATE: if the candidate is seeking the nomination of a party with fewer than 50,000 registrants, any voter (regardless of partisan affilation) could sign.
In 2012, Arizona’s presidential primary was tied for being fifth earliest in the nation. When the Arizona presidential primary filing deadline passed, there weren’t even 20 other states that had determined which presidential primary candidates were on the ballot. Alternative (3), above, is thus utterly impractical. Also, a newly-formed party could not possibly have presidential primaries in as many as 20 states, because there are only 14 states in which it is possible for a newly-formed party (one formed in the odd year before a presidential election) to have a government-administered presidential primary.
Alternative (2), eligibility for primary season matching funds, is also not practical for a state with a primary as early as Arizona’s. When the filing deadline passed for getting on the presidential primary in Arizona, no one had yet qualified for primary season matching funds.
On February 27, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to hold action on this bill, so maybe it will be amended to make it more rational.
Was the reason for this bill the amount of candidates, other then the top four, in the Republican primary? Those candidates didn’t effect the outcome, I’m sure every candidate got at least one vote.
ARIZONA, AND EVERY OTHER STATE, SHOULD ENSURE THAT:
THE PERSON STANDING FOR NOMINATION, SHOULD QUALIFY AS PER THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES!
ANY PERSON FAILING TO DO SO, SHOULD BE EXCLUDED FROM STANDING, OR HAVING THEI NAME GO ON THE BALLOT!
THE RULES HAVE BEEN IN FORCE SINCE THE FOUNDING OF THE UNITED STATES, AND IT IS ABOUT TIME THEY WERE ENFORCED BY EACH AND EVERY STATE! NO EXCEPTIONS!
It is comforting to know that our elected representatives are focusing not on Arizona’s budgetary or economic debacles but on gaming the electoral process. Having deftly guided the state to the edge of a fiscal abyss, they now want to eliminate competition. Recently they eliminated all ballot-qualified minor parties from the state’s registration forms and now they want to unconstitutionally restrict presidential primary ballot access.
Why not just cut to the chase and declare all elected offices in Arizona to be hereditary and that the Arizona legislature will designate who can and cannot be on presidential primary ballots.
It may be good PR to promote democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan, but why should Arizona have to put up with it.
Remember, this is the *Arizona* legislature. You can’t expect any degree of competence or rationality on the part of those elected to this body.
The only way they will improve is if a legislator is hanged every week until the others are encouraged to do better.
How come the NCSL does NOT inform the New Age constitutional law MORONS in the various State legislatures about SCOTUS election law opinions – even defective as they are ???
P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
NOOOOOOOOO primaries by/for the MORON party hacks.
Is Rep. Paul the ONLY sane Elephant running to be Prez ???
Are the New Age media MORONS just as insane as most of the candidates — about stuff like deficits, the effects of control freak laws, etc. ???