On February 5, the New Hampshire House Election Law Committee heard testimony on HB 665, which eases ballot access for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties. The bill lowers the petition for all partisan office to one-tenth of … Continue reading
On February 4, the South Dakota Senate amended SB 69, the ballot access restriction bill, to make the bill even more restrictive. The Senate then passed the bill on a party-line vote, with all the “No” votes coming from Democrats. … Continue reading
Seth Masket, a political scientist who specializes partly in political parties and partisanship, has published this essay which outlines the institutional weaknesses of state legislatures in many states, but which then suggests that these deficiencies can partly be overcome by … Continue reading
On February 3, the Kansas House Elections Committee passed HB 2108. This is the bill to reinstate the straight-ticket device. Kansas repealed it in 1923. See this editorial from the Kansas City Star, criticizing the bill. … Continue reading
On February 4, at the beginning of the Oklahoma House Elections & Ethics Committee hearing, the chair of the committee announced that Speaker Jeffrey Hickman is unable to appear at the hearing today, so Hickman’s ballot access bill, HB 2181, … Continue reading
