The Iowa House Committee on State Government has introduced HF 590, an omnibus election law bill which increases the petition requirements for independent candidates, and the nominees of unqualified parties. Currently the only qualified parties in Iowa are the Republican and Democratic Parties.
The bill raises the petition requirement for president, governor, and U.S. Senator from 1,500 to 3,500. It also imposes a severe county distribution requirement, which is unconstitutional under the U.S. Supreme Court decision Moore v Ogilvie (1969). The distribution requirement in the bill is 100 signatures from at least 19 counties.
The petition for lesser statewide office would rise from 1,500 signatures to 2,500 signatures, with at least 75 signatures from each of 18 counties.
The petition for U.S. House would rise from 375 signatures to 1,726 signatures, with at least 47 signatures required from each of half the counties in the district.
The alternate procedure for unqualified parties to get on the ballot, which is seldom used, would rise from a meeting of 250 attendees, to 500 attendees.
In 2019, the Iowa legislature moved the petition deadline for these petitions from August to March. The Libertarian Party is currently suing Iowa over the deadline change in U.S. District Court. The case has moved very slowly so far, but briefs will be submitted in early March.
RE- Moore – sue for $$$$ damages to bankrupt the hacks involved.
Just like what is currently happening in Arkansas, this is obviously a response to the relatively large number of minor party and independent presidential candidates who qualified for the Iowa ballot last year.
Having to get 100 valid signatures out of 19 counties in a low population state with 99 counties (which is a lot of counties; by comparison, California, which was way more people than Iowa, only has 57 counties) is pretty difficult. That should be eliminated from this bill. Heck, for that matter, eliminate the entire bill.
I hope that the bad aspects of the bill get removed. Legislators need to hear from their constituents!
Why not just pass a law saying that the top five parties – based on say, a statewide office – would be qualified parties for say, 8 years. Then have a reasonable petitioning process for unqualified parties?
TJ-
Command orders from DNC/RNC to smash all independents and minor parties OFF ballots
— they cause gerrymander math problems.
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EQUAL nom pets.