Louisiana will hold two special U.S. House elections on March 20. All candidates get on the ballot by paying a fee. Party labels are permitted if the candidate is a member of a qualified party. Qualified parties in Louisiana are Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, Green, and Independent.

If no one gets 50%, there is a runoff.

The qualifying period for both elections is January 20-January 22. As of the evening of January 21, in the Second District, there are seven Democrats, three Republicans, a member of the Independent Party, and a Libertarian. In the Fifth District, there are six Republicans and a Democrat.

On January 20, the Alabama Libertarian Party filed this reply brief in Libertarian Party of Alabama v Merrill, in the Eleventh Circuit, 20-13356. This is the case over the Alabama habit of giving the list of registered voters free to qualified parties, but charging approximately $36,000 to parties that are not on the ballot but which are trying to get on.

Three New Hampshire state representatives have introduced HB 98, which would move the non-presidential primary from September to the first Tuesday in June. If the bills passed as written, the petition deadline for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties would move from August to May, because existing law ties those petition deadlines to the date of the non-presidential primary. And the date for independent candidates, and the nominees of unqualified parties, to file a declaration of candidacy would move from June to March.

Another bill by another author, HB 97, would move the non-presidential primary from September to August. Thanks to Daryl Perry for this news.