On April 19, the Colorado House Appropriations Committee passed HB 19-1278. It had also passed the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on April 2. It now goes to the House.
It increases the number of signatures, for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties, for all office except president. The worst change is for statewide office, which goes from 1,000 signatures to 10,500, with the addition of a difficult congressional district distribution requirement.
More states have seen bills to make ballot access worse this year than at any time since 1971. Fortunately most of them have died, or appear unlikely to pass. The three that have already passed are in New York, Kentucky, and Arkansas. The latter two states made ballot access worse but have already been sued by the Libertarian Party over the 2019 changes.
The powers that be really don’t want any of that competition thing happening.
ANTI-Democracy gerrymander oligarch TYRANTS at work
— just following Devil City command orders.
Following orders = NO defense.
See Nuremberg War Crimes trials after WW II — various top nazis hung.
—
19 Apr 1775 — Day 1 of American Revolutionary War — 224 years and counting.
Courts and media too EVIL stupid to detect 2 Amdt connection — Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Lots of American teenagers fighting the Brits — many casualties.
Various Militia battles after the USA Army *regulars* got beat bad by the Brits.
WAR from 1775-1784.
Pensions paid into 1860s in Civil War I — about 85 years later.
Has anyone been lobbying against this bill?
@GS,
The problem is that it is a comprehensive election bill, so that it is unlikely to be killed.
The signature requirements for major parties was reduced, and the sponsors were likely told it was just a change for consistency sake. If they were asked about it, they would likely assure you that it wasn’t their “intent” to hurt minor parties. They might even be guileless dupes who were requested to add the provision by a more cynical legislator.
I only heard about this bill a few hours ago. Apparently it passed the state house today and moves on to the senate. We need to lobby against this in the senate.
Gary Swing
Unity Party candidate for US Senate
The state senate hearing on House Bill 1278 is TODAY at 1:30 with the senate state affairs committee.
Anyone who can be there, please come to testify against it. Ask the senators to remove the independent and minor party primary ballot access revisions from this bill.
The political system should be more open, inclusive, and representative. Ballot access should be made easier across the board, not ten times more difficult. There is no excuse for shutting independent candidates and alternative perspectives out of the political process.
Colorado State Capitol Building, Room 357. Be there, and be squarely against independent candidate suppression.