Florida Governor Ron DeSantis still hasn’t signed HB 5, nor SB 7066.  House Bill 5 makes it more difficult for initiatives to get on the ballot, and it passed the legislature on May 3.  Senate Bill 7066 requires ex-felons to pay all court costs, fines, and restitution before they can register to vote.  It also moves the non-presidential primary a week earlier in August.  It requires petitioners and campaigners to stay at least 150 feet from a polling place (current law is 100 feet).  It also passed on May 3.  DeSantis has said publicly that he will sign SB 7066.

On May 21, the full panel of U.S. Court of Appeals judges in the D.C. Circuit issued an opinion in Libertarian National Committee v Federal Election Commission, 18-5227.  Seven of the judges upheld the FEC and ruled that someone who is dead, and who had never told the party that he was leaving them a bequest, still can’t have his bequest given to the party, except by allowing a limited amount of the money to be doled out every year.  UPDATE: see this new story.

Three judges dissented.  The majority opinion is 35 pages; one of the dissents, by Judge Thomas Griffith, is 9 pages; the other dissent, by Judges Gregory Katsas and Karen Henderson, is 22 pages.  All of the dissenters are appointees of Republican presidents.  All of the judges in the majority are appointees of Democratic presidents.  Judge Neomi Rao, who is new to the court, did not participate.

The majority opinion says the Libertarian Party does have standing to have brought this case.  Otherwise, the majority opinion seems strangely detached from real-world events.

This seems as though it might be a case the U.S. Supreme Court would review.  Thanks to Rick Hasen and Thomas Jones for this news.

Late on the evening of May 20, the Texas Senate passed HB 2504, the bill that makes it easier for a party to stay on the ballot, but which requires the nominees of convention parties to pay filing fees.  The bill is now through the legislature.