Ballot Access News has just learned that Barbara Fleischauer was elected to the West Virginia legislature last month. She served in the legislature in the past, but had been defeated for re-election in 2004. She is a Democrat who believes strongly that West Virginia ballot access laws are too harsh. She intends to re-submit her past bill, moving the petition deadline for minor party and independent candidates (for office other than president) from May to August (the presidential petition deadline is already in August). She is the wife of Law Professor Bob Bastress, who has won several important ballot access cases against West Virginia during the past 26 years.

In the meantime, the Libertarian Party lawsuit against that deadline is pending in the West Virginia Supreme Court.