Montana Relaxes Requirement that Petition Sheets be Notarized

On May 7, the Montana Secretary of State relaxed the requirement that initiative petition sheets need to be notarized. The ruling says initiative petition blanks can be e-mailed to anyone who wants one. The recipient can then print the petition, as well as second verification form, and can sign both and return it to the initiative sponsor. Here is the ruling.

Connecticut Governor Cuts All Candidate Petitions to 70% of Normal

On May 11, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont cut the number of signatures for candidate petitions to 70% of the normal requirement. He also extsended the deadline by two days. The order applies both to primary petitions and general election petitions.

For general election petitions for president, this cuts the number from 7,500 to 5,250. The deadline moves from August 5 to August 7.

The order also suspends the need for notarization of petition sheets. Thanks to several people for this news.

The Libertarian and Green Parties were already on the ballot for president, which is the only statewide race up this year. But it affects most of their nominees for U.S. House and legislature and local partisan office. The Secretary of State had recommended that the Governor also say that if a party is on the ballot for at least one statewide race, then it is on for all partisan office this year. But the Governor did not promulgate that idea. This is especially disappointing to the Working Families Party and the Independent Party, which are on for most statewide offices, but not president.

All Four Utah Republican Candidates for Governor Favor Eliminating Petition Route Onto Primary Ballot

According to this story, all four Republicans running for Utah Governor want to return to the old nomination system, in which no one can get on a Republican primary ballot unless he or she wins substantial support at a party meeting. Even Jon Huntsman, who got on the primary ballot this year via a petition, favors ending the petition alternative.