Ballot Access News
March 1, 2019 – Volume 34, Number 10

1. ARKANSAS ENACTS SEVERE BALLOT ACCESS LAW THAT HAD TWICE PREVIOUSLY BEEN HELD UNCONSTITUTIONAL
2. NINTH CIRCUIT REJECTS CALIFORNIA REHEARING REQUEST
3. OHIO SEEMS TO KEEP LIBERTARIAN PARTY ON BALLOT
4. DELAWARE CAN’T BAR INDEPENDENT VOTERS FROM BEING JUDGES
5. U.S. SUPREME COURT SETS CONFERENCE DATE FOR UTAH REPUBLICAN CASE
6. OHIO WIN FOR INITIATIVES
7. MARYLAND LIBERTARIANS DENIED INJUNCTIVE RELIEF
8. ARKANSAS DEADLINE IMPROVEMENT
9. THREE BALLOT ACCESS BILLS LOSE
10. NEW YORK EASES PRIMARY ACCESS FOR 2019 ONLY
11. BALLOT ACCESS BILLS INTRODUCED
12. UTAH BILL TO END STRAIGHT-TICKET DEVICE ADVANCES
13. COLORADO JOINS NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE COMPACT
14. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TAX RETURNS BILLS
15. BILLS TO ALTER PRIMARY SYSTEMS
16. CALIFORNIA PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY BALLOT ACCESS BILL
17. BOOK REVIEW: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS AND THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
18. BOOK REVIEW: INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM ALMANAC
19. VOTING AGE BILLS
20. UPCOMING ORAL ARGUMENTS IN BALLOT ACCESS CASES
21. LAWSUITS WHICH ENJOINED OR OVERTURNED EARLY PETITION DEADLINES
22. TWO LEGISLATORS SWITCH PARTIES
23. SOCIALIST PARTY WILL NOMINATE FOR PRESIDENT IN OCTOBER
24. WILLIAM WELD WILL SEEK REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION
25. CONNECTICUT INDEPENDENT PARTY
26. NEW YORK BILL TO DEPRIVE INDEPENDENCE PARTY OF ITS NAME ADVANCES
27. LYNDON LAROUCHE DIES
28. SUBSCRIBING TO BAN WITH PAYPAL

On March 28, the Florida House Judiciary Committee passed PCB JDC 19-01, which would make it illegal for out-of-state circulators to work on Florida initiatives.  It would also ban paying circulators on a per-signature basis.  See this story.  Thanks to Rick Hasen for this news.  The sponsor is Representative James Grant (R-Tampa).

Generally speaking, it is easy to know or predict the date of every state’s presidential primary in 2020, except for New York.  The statute says the New York 2020 presidential primary will be on February 4, but that is very unlikely to stand.  Both major parties refuse to recognize primaries earlier than March 3, except for the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries.  Everyone expects the New York legislature to pass a bill this year setting a March date, but so far no bill is pending.