Eight Wyoming legislators have introduced HB 155, which would make ballot access for minor parties and independent candidates more restrictive. Currently large qualified parties nominate by primary in late August, and smaller qualified parties nominate by convention and must submit the names of their nominees by the day before the primary. Also currently, independent candidate petitions are due in late August.
The bill would provide that minor parties would need to choose their nominees no later than 81 days before the primary, which would be early June. Also it would provide that independent candidate petitions would be due in early June.
There are many federal court precedents that independent candidate petition deadlines cannot be earlier than the primary. If this bill were enacted, it would probably be held unconstitutional.
Wyoming has always had liberal petition deadlines for independent candidates. The deadline has always been in October, September, or August of the election year.
The sponsors are all Republicans. The two Senate sponsors are Lynn Hutchings and Cheri Steinmetz. The six House sponsors are Tony Locke, Bill Allemand, Allen Slagle, Scott Smith, Clarence Styvar, and Tamara Trujillo. Representative Smith had an independent opponent last year who came fairly close to winning.
Merge WY with MT for fed election purposes.
Keep merging smallest voters State with closest N/S smallest voters State.
Any idea who the indie rep was who almost beat Smith?
Todd Peterson of Torrington.
I like this bill. It’s pro-military, pro-God, pro-America, pro-kids, anti-drugs and anti-hymen trafficking/illegals. God bless the Sponsors and give it smooth sailing into Law. Amen!
We need to keep Wyoming as a state in order to define the population of a Rep district under the Wyoming Rule.
Besides, its better to divide more populous states into smaller ones. Merging states creates a serous legal problem: which legal code prevails? Divided states can each keep the prior legal code, and then each make any changes they want.
And, also, smaller states make them more competitive with each other on taxes. It’s tough for Massachusetts to raise taxes too much with low tax New Hampshire as a neighbor.
Of course. And we need to restore the state sovereignty that fell by the wayside in the war of northern aggression.
Ignore Thomas Jones and his pointless rants.
TOTAL MERGE STATES [AFTER NEW ELECTIONS FOR ALL STATE / USA REP / USA SENATE OFFICES IN NEW AREA] = SAME PROPERTY OWNERSHIPS.
—
MERGE ONLY FOR USA REP/SEN/PREZ ELECTIONS IS A QUITE SEPARATE MATTER.
— EG MERGE DC WITH MD FOR ALL FED ELECTIONS – REPEAL 23 AMDT.
“MERGE ONLY FOR USA REP/SEN/PREZ ELECTIONS IS A QUITE SEPARATE MATTER.”
Merging states for federal election purposes only? I don’t see how that can be done at all under the current Constitution. No state can be deprived of its equal representation in the Senate without its consent. The Constitution is quite specific about that. It seems to me that the only way any state would agree to that is if it were totally exempt from federal taxation. Not gonna happen.
You can’t spell crAZy without AZ.
Wonder if Tommy Jones thinks Michigan and Ohio should merge, since Ohio has more people?
He’s also the guy who says states are sovereign nation states, LoL 😂