Maine representative Ben Chipman (I-Portland) has introduced LD 545. It makes it easier for candidates for governor to get on the primary ballot of a small qualified party. Current law requires 2,000 signatures of party members, regardless of the size of the party. Only registered party members may sign.

The bill would change this to the lesser of either 2,000 signatures, or 2% of the number of registered members in that party. Currently, Maine and Massachusetts are the only states with mandatory petitions for a candidate to get on a primary ballot, and which have registration by party, and yet the number of signatures is not keyed to the number of registered members in that party.

Arizona and South Dakota have hybrid laws, in which the number of signatures for members of an already-established party is linked to the size of the party, but if the party is brand new, the number of signatures is not linked in to the size of the party. Fortunately a bill to fix that flaw in Arizona is likely to pass this year.

The Maine bill logically ought to make the same change for U.S. Senate, which is the only other statewide elected office in Maine in which candidates are nominated by primary. The bill may be amended later to make that change.