On January 28, the New York Assembly passed AB 2570. It lowers the number of signatures to get on primary ballots, for 2019 only, to just one-fourth of the normal number of signatures for primary ballot access. It applies to all partisan office except offices in New York city.
An identical bill, SB 2862, is pending in the State Senate. The rationale for the bills is that this is the first year since the mid-1970’s that the primary has been in June. Candidates running in primaries are having trouble organizing their petition drives this year, because they aren’t accustomed to such an early petitioning period. The bill doesn’t apply to New York city because the bill’s sponsors don’t believe it is as difficult to get signatures in New York city because the population is so much denser.
Do Republicans and Democrats have to petition to get on? If so, maybe New York is doing something right for a change.
Yes, but they don’t need nearly as many signatures as independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties.
ANY ballot access lawyer or judge in the USA able to detect *equal* in 14-1 EPC ???