On March 13, the South Dakota legislature passed SB 69, which makes ballot access worse for both newly-qualifying parties and independent candidates. The bill was amended on the House floor to soften some of the harm, and the Senate accepted the House amendments.
The bill moves the petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties from the last Tuesday in March to the first Tuesday in March. The original bill had moved that deadline into February, so the final version still makes the deadline more restrictive, but not as bad as the earlier version. For 2016, the deadline would move from March 29 to March 1.
The bill still says that no one can sign an independent candidate petition if the potential signer is a registered member of a qualified party. Current law lets any registered voter sign an independent candidate’s petition.
The bill no longer makes the petition for a member of a small ballot-qualified party to get on the primary ballot any worse than it already is. Current law says a member of a new party needs 250 signatures of party members to get on the primary ballot for statewide office, which is a large problem if the party only has 500 registered members, or even if it has 2,000 members, because they are scattered all over the state. The bill says a candidate of a new party now has a choice of obtaining 250 signatures of party members, or he or she can also obtain signatures of independent voters, but if that alternative is used, the requirement rises to 1% of the number of independent voters, which would be over 1,000 signatures of independent voters and/or party members.
Another provision of the bill raises the number of signatures for members of large parties to get on the primary ballot. Existing law requires primary petitions from 1% of a party’s previous gubernatorial general election vote (if the party is not a new party), but the bill changes that to 1% of the number of registrants in that party. That change has a worse impact on Democrats than on Republicans. Many politically active people in South Dakota are working to persuade the Governor to veto the bill.
Need I repeat the obvious? Major parties are determined to kill 3rd parties and Independent candidates. They know the American people are fed up and frustrated with the way government is treating them. But it won’t take much more of this, and the people are going to show the politicians of the major parties who is the boss.
Unless Richard can point this out, there is no state where a 3rd party or Independent has no provision to obtaining ballot position. Some are realistic – such as Mississippi – and some are harsh such as North Carolina.
But regardless, when the people are fed up enough, they will get all the signatures they need and the major parties can’t do a thing about it. Even if it gets to the point where only write-in votes are allowed, if people are fed up enough, they’ll get enough write in votes. And if the politicians still give the people the finger, then it’s “Katie bar the door” as the people will unleash a revolution which will make the original Revolution look like a Sunday School Picnic. We may be closer to that day than we think.
This is a horrible bill. Every legislator who voted for it deserves to be removed from office.
ALL 99 houses of ALL 50 State legislatures are filled with gerrymander robot party HACKS.
1/2 or less votes x 1/2 pack/crack gerrymander districts = 1/4 or less CONTROL.
Much worse primary math — about 10 percent REAL control.
i.e. ALL State regimes are ANTI-Democracy oligarchies — since day 1 in 1776.
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18 States have voter petitions for State constitutional amendments — since SCOTUS has its 9 robot party hacks trying to defend the 2 major gangs.
P.R. and nonpartisan App.V. — before it is too late.