On April 9, the Montana House passed SB 350 on second reading, 67-33. It makes three improvements to the procedure for qualifying a new or previously unqualified party: (1) it says a signature should be considered valid even if the signer doesn’t show the exact form of the name compared to the voter registration record; (2) it says no one may withdraw a signature from a petition to create a new party later than the March petition deadline itself; (3) it says any person may present a completed petition to qualify a new party. There is no need for the individual who submits the petition to prove that he or she is a party officer or representative.

The bill will have a vote on Monday, April 12, in the House, for third reading. Then it will have passed the legislature.

This bill exists because of some restrictive rulings by the Montana state courts in 2018 and 2020. Those rulings invalidated Green Party petitions both years.

On April 1, James R. Adams filed this brief in his lawsuit over the Delaware law that does not allow registered independents to become judges on the important state courts. The state is trying to persuade the U.S. District Court that he doesn’t have standing, so the new Adams brief deals with standing. Adams v Carney, 1:20cv-1680.

On April 8, Indiana told the U.S. Supreme Court that it doesn’t wish to respond to the cert petition in Tully v Okeson, 20-1244. This is the case that challenges the state law letting voters age 65 and over vote by postal ballot for any reason, but which does not allow younger voters to do so unless they will be away from their home area on election day.

Of course, if the U.S. Supreme Court asks Indiana to respond, then the state will respond.

Also on April 8, a group of historians filed an amicus brief in support of the voters who brought the case.