Iowa Senate Study Bill 1241 has been introduced. Among many other provisions, it would severely harm ballot access for independent candidates and the nominees of new and previously unqualified political parties. It raises the number of signatures for President, U.S. Senate, and Governor from 1,500 signatures to 4,000 signatures. It raises the number for other statewide offices from 1,500 to 2,500 signatures. It raises U.S. House from 375 to 2,000. It raises State Senate from 100 to 200, and State House from 50 to 100.
For the statewide petitions, it imposes a severe county distribution requirement. President, U.S. Senate, and gubernatorial petitions would need 200 signatures from each of ten counties; other statewide offices would need 125 from each of ten counties.
The petition deadline would change from mid-August to 81 days before the June primary. In 2020, that would mean a deadline of March 13.
Iowa now has a provision for a convention with 250 attendees, as another method for unqualified parties to appear on the ballot. The bill raises the number of attendees to 500.
The deadline would be unconstitutional under Anderson v Celebrezze, and the county distribution requirement would be unconstitutional under Moore v Ogilvie. Thanks to Nathan Hetzel for this news.
Little wonder that the gerrymander Congress has been wiping out the State regimes for about 150 years.
The SCOTUS HACK MORONS have made ALL legislators [Fed/State/local] *immune* in enacting all sorts of UN-constitutional legislation.
Thus- the nonstop UN-constitutional bills – later *laws*.
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PR and AppV
Sad New, I ran for Congress there in 2018 with the Legal Marijuana NOW Party. I thought 375 signatures was plenty. It’s a swing state and super hard to pull 3rd party votes there anyhow. I guess the big party people who are introducing this bill really want to lock down the vote for themselves and not others with different views and opinions of themselves.
If this passes, it will backfire on Republicans and Democrats. All this will do is force them into running as Democrats and Republicans. Look at AOC in New York or Rep. Amash in Michigan. If the goal is to prevent Libertarians and Greens from getting on the ballot, they will. One way or the other.