Republicans who wish to get on the Republican primary ballot for the Massachusetts U.S. Senate special election must obtain 10,000 valid signatures by February 27. According to this story, there is some concern that no Republican will be able to fulfill the task. Of course, the legislature is sitting, and is capable of passing ballot access reform, and making the bill effective immediately. UPDATE: here is an article about the coming blizzard in New England that will make petitioning even more difficult.
Here are the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s instructions for candidates in the special election. The nominees of unqualified parties, and independent candidates, also need 10,000 valid signatures, but not until April 3.
It is conceivable that any candidate running in the primary might file a lawsuit to reduce the number of signatures. The decision of the U.S. District Court in Illinois dated February 1, 2013, called Jones v McGuffage, said that it is unconstitutional to impose the same number of signatures in a special election (with limited time to collect the signatures) than in a regularly-scheduled election. If this were a regularly-scheduled election, primary candidates could obtain their signatures over a three-month period. Thanks to Thomas MacMillan for the link to the news story.
I love it when restrictionist ballot access laws come back and bite the duopoly in the butt.
I really don’t have any sympathy for the Republican Party. They have helped make ballot access difficult all over the country (for both minor party’s and independents as well as initiatives, referendums, and recalls), so when it comes back to bite them I say that they are getting a taste of their own medicine. Live by the sword and die by the sword.