The December 11 Daily Oklahoman has this editorial, calling on the legislature to ease Oklahoma ballot access. The editorial is welcome, because several months ago, this newspaper (the largest in the state) had editorialized against letting the state Americans Elect Party choose its own presidential nominee.

The editorial is mistaken to say Gary Johnson was on the ballot in 47 states. He was on in 48, plus D.C.

The timing of the editorial is very good. The deadline for introducing bills in Oklahoma is Friday, December 14. Although certain State House members are willing to introduce a bill, they won’t do so unless one Republican State Senator can be found to co-sponsor it. Oklahoma legislators can only introduce eight bills and no legislator wants to introduce a bill unless the sponsor perceives it has a fair chance of passing. In the last session the House passed ballot access reform but the Senate blocked it. However, the Libertarian Party lawsuit against the state’s ballot access law is still pending in U.S. District Court.