Oregon SB 146, one of the Secretary of State’s omnibus election law bills, may be amended to provide that once a party meets the vote test, it remains ballot-qualified for the next two elections, instead of just the next election. The Senate Rules Committee will consider this amendment on May 22.

If this idea is signed into law, it would accentuate a trend that has been growing across the nation, to give minor parties two chances, instead of just one, to poll enough votes to remain on the ballot. Other states in which a party only must meet the vote test every four years, instead of every two years, to remain ballot-qualified (or which provide that once a party qualifies, it remains on for the next two elections) are Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Also, in Illinois, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington, the vote test applied to a particular office that only comes up once every four years, and if the group passes the vote test, the effect lasts for four years. Illinois and Texas have two types of vote test, and if one type is met, the effect lasts four years; if the other type is met, that lasts two years. Thanks to Blair Bobier for the Oregon news.