On April 17, the Iowa Senate passed HF 692, which makes ballot access for independent candidates, and the nominees of unqualified parties, more difficult.

It increases statewide petitions from 1,500 signatures to 4,000 signatures, and adds an unconstitutional county distribution requirement of 200 signatures from each of ten counties.

It increases U.S. House petitions from 375 signatures to 2,000, and says there must be 77 signatures from each of half the counties in the district. No other state has ever had a county distribution requirement for U.S. House petitions, and that would be unconstitutional as well.

It increases the petition for State Senate petitions from 100 signatures to 200, and increases State House petitions from 50 to 100.

It moves the petition deadline for non-presidential petitions from mid-August to early June. It says that the names of parties can be abbreviated on the ballot, as long as the instructions part of the ballot explains the abbreviations. It makes it easier to invalidate signatures.

The bill passed 31-18. One Republican Senator, Dennis Guth, did not vote; otherwise all the Republicans voted “yes” and all the Democrats voted “no.” Senator Brad Zaun, a Republican, had promised to vote “no” but he did vote “yes”, which means the Republican leadership in the Senate probably put a great deal of pressure on every Republican to support the bill. The bill now goes to the House. When it had passed the House the first time, it did not have the ballot access amendments in the bill. The bill is an omnibus election law bill. Thanks to Nathan Hetzel for this news.

The California State Senate Elections Committee will hear two bills involving ranked choice voting on April 23, Tuesday. One is SB 641, to allow ranked choice voting for special U.S. House and legislative elections. Read it here.

The other is SB 212, to let non-charter cities and non-charter counties used ranked choice voting for elections for their own officers. Currently charter cities and charter counties can do this, but not general law cities and counties. Here is the text.

State Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) is the sponsor of both bills.

HR 51, the bill in the U.S. House to make the District of Columbia a state, now has 203 co-sponsors. It has gained two co-sponsors so far in April.

By contrast, HR 1965, the bill Puerto Rico statehood bill introduced by Congressman Darren Soto, only has one co-sponsor.

HR 1681, the ballot access bill introduced by Congressman Justin Amash, has no co-sponsors.

HJR 7, the bill to abolish the electoral college, only has seven co-sponsors.