On March 18, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed SB 1148. It moves the non-presidential primary from the second week in June to the third week in June. Because the petition deadline for non-presidential independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified party is on primary date, the bill automatically extends the petition deadline a week.

As far as is known, this is the first bill this year that has been signed into law, that improves ballot access for minor party and independent candidates. The bill takes effect too late to affect the 2021 election, but it will help in 2022 and thereafter.

Michael Feinstein has this op-ed in the MinnPost, a Minnesota politics website. It reveals the flaws on the campaign finance provisions of HR One, the Democratic Party’s omnibus election law bill in Congress. Thanks to the Fairvote for the link.

On March 19, the voter-plaintiffs filed this supplemental brief in U.S. District Court in Hawaii, in Reeves v Nago, 1:20cv-433. This case, filed last year, challenges the law that forbids former residents of Hawaii to vote absentee, if they have moved to Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands. If a Hawaii resident had moved to a foreign country, he or she could continue to vote absentee in Hawaii.

The supplemental brief explains that the court could offer relief, if the law were to be judged unconstitutional. It was filed in response to a request from the judge.