The Michigan petition deadline for primary candidates was April 19. Ten Republicans submitted petitions to be on the ballot for Governor. They each needed 15,000 signatures. Any registered voter may sign. The primary is August 2.
Three of the leading candidates’ petitions have been challenged. See this story. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link. The three challenged candidates are James Craig, Tudor Dixon, and Perry Johnson. The Michigan Democratic Party filed the challenges.
New York state legislators and other influential actors have reached no consensus on whether to move the entire primary from June to August, or whether to have one primary in June for statewide, assembly and local offices, and a later primary for U.S. House and State Senate. The districts aren’t set yet for those last two offices. See this story.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is pushing the legislature to amend the election law, regarding withdrawal of candidates, in time to take effect for this year’s primary, which is in June. See this story. The legislature seems disinclined to do that.
The April 28 issue of the Des Moines Register has this news story about the decision of a U.S. District court, striking down the March petition deadline for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties. That decision was released on April 8. The Des Moines Register is the first daily newspaper in Iowa to mention this news.
On April 25, the Maine legislature passed LD 231, the bill to let independent voters choose a partisan primary ballot. This bill had passed the legislature in the spring of 2021, but then it had been placed on the Appropriations Table, which is a peculiar device used in Maine that prevents final passage of a bill until there is funding authority for it.
So, after almost a year, the recent action sends the bill to Governor Janet Mills, who is expected to sign it. Thanks to Open Primaries for this news.
