On February 5, the South Dakota House State Affairs Committee passed HB 1286 by a vote of 8-4. It lowers the number of signatures for a newly-qualifying party from 2.5% of the last gubernatorial vote, to 1% of the last gubernatorial vote. It also says that parties with registration of less than 2.5% of the total state registration are free to nominate for all office by convention. Current law says they must nominate by primary if they want to run candidates for Governor, Congress or state legislature. Because it is very difficult for members of small qualified parties to get on their own party’s primary ballot, the freedom for small qualified parties to nominate by convention would be a great help for them.
The Secretary of State backs the bill. Oddly enough, a trial is being held over the South Dakota rules for ballot access for small political parties February 6-7. The case is Libertarian Party of South Dakota v Krebs.
More UNEQUAL ballot access stuff.
Richard writes:
“Oddly enough, a trial is being held over the South Dakota rules for ballot access for small political parties February 6-7.”
I heard they had some big-name expert witness there too!
http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/crime/2018/02/06/krebs-law-change-could-ease-burden-third-political-parties-south-dakota/313083002/
Thanks for everything you’ve done for us over the years, Richard.
It is praiseworthy when these censorship quotas are diminished, yet they all remain open to abuse as judges and legislators and their decisions come and go. Only content-neutral ballot without censorship by quotas can solve these cyclical litigations.
See the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot for a template ballot that could be used in all U S jurisdictions.
Hope RW had WARM clothes in super-frozen SD — near middle of frozen central North America.