On March 17, the Indiana Green Party filed a federal lawsuit against Indiana’s ballot access laws. Indiana Green Party v Sullivan, s.d., 1:22cv-518. The Indiana petition for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties, 2% of the last vote cast for Secretary of State, currently requires 44,935 signatures for statewide office. It has not been used for statewide office in over twenty years.

Indiana is one of only four states in which Ralph Nader, who placed third in 2000, 2004, and 2008, never got on the ballot. The other three states in which he never got on the ballot, Georgia, North Carolina, and Oklahoma, have all eased presidential ballot access since Nader last ran.

Indiana requires more signatures, as a percentage of the presidential vote, than any other state, for president, when the easier method in each state is compared. It also has one of the earliest petition deadlines for president of any state, when the later method is compared.

The Libertarian Party is a co-plaintiff, even though it has been on the ballot continuously since 1994. It is in the lawsuit because it could theoretically fail to poll 2% of the vote for its nominee for Secretary of State in the future, and if it did, it would also be subject to the petition in order to get back on.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge James R. Sweeney, a Trump appointee.

On March 17, the Tennessee House defeated HB 2067 by two votes. It would have eased the definition of a qualified party. The bill received 47 “yes” votes and 35 “no” votes. However, because there are currently 97 representatives, the bill needed a majority of the membership, which would have been 49 votes. Fifteen representatives did not vote, and not voting had the same effect as voting “no.”

Democrats cast 15 votes in favor, 5 opposed, and 5 didn’t vote.

Republicans cast 32 votes in favor, 30 opposed, and 10 didn’t vote. The Speaker, Cameron Sexton, voted “no.”

The bill would have reduced the petition from 2.5% of the last gubernatorial vote, to one-half of 1%. It would also have eased the vote test for party retention from 5% to 1%.
Here is the roll-call. Click on the “votes” button at the top on the right.

An identical bill, SB 2189, is still alive in the State Senate. It has a committee hearing on March 22.

On March 16, the Ohio Supreme Court again invalidated a legislative redistricting plan. Here is the opinion in League of Women Voters of Ohio v Ohio Redistricting Commission. The May primary will now probably be moved to a later date. The vote was 4-3. The two dissents, together, are twice as long as the majority opinion, and quite angry.

If the primary is moved to a later date, that would also extend the deadline for independent candidate petitions to a later date.