On Saturday, the New Mexico House Judiciary Committee passed SB 180. It is a very long omnibus election law bill. Among its provisions, it doubles the number of signatures needed by minor party non-presidential nominees, from 1% of the last gubernatorial vote, to 2%.
Even the 1% petition has kept all minor party non-presidential nominees off the ballot for statewide office, ever since 2012, when the Independent American Party managed to get the signatures for its U.S. Senate nominee.
Presidential candidates are exempt from the nominee petition requirement.
It is clear that the Judiciary Committee members did not understand the provision doubling the number of signatures. The bill’s sponsor told the committee that the witnesses against it were mistaken. The witnesses against the provision were limited to one minute, with no opportunity for the committee members to ask questions of the witness. The witnesses included two Green Party activists, and me.
I hope there are people in New Mexico lobbying against this.
Both factions of the New Mexico Libertarian Party seem to be missing in action.
Both factions? There is only one, and it’s not the group run by Luchini.
Why should which parties the voters of any given precinct choose between be the business of anyone outside that precinct??
Well, they brought the thing up and passed it. It goes to the governor next. We believe they don’t even comprehend their own laws.
All hail TRUMP!!!