On March 20, the Nevada Democratic Party released a plan to change its presidential caucuses in 2020. The plan will go into effect, assuming the national Democratic Party approves it. Caucuses have always been criticized in the past because if the caucus is on an evening in which some people are working, or can’t attend for another reason, they can’t vote. The new plan allows five different days for participation. See this story. Thanks to Steve Kamp for this news.
On March 19, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin signed HB 114. It moves the deadline for candidates for state office to file a declaration of candidacy from April 1, to the last Tuesday in January. It has an emergency clause so it takes effect immediately.
Kentucky elects all its statewide state executive officers, including Governor, in the odd years before presidential election years. The Libertarian Party has no members who had already filed a declaration of candidacy for any of those offices, so now the Libertarians can’t run for any of those offices this year, even though the party is ballot-qualified.
There are many precedents that it violates due process to make ballot access more difficult in the middle of the election year season. If any Libertarian, or any independent candidate, were to sue that this new law can’t be applied to the 2019 election, it is highly likely that the lawsuit would win. For independents and the nominees of unqualified parties, the petition itself is not due until August 2019. UPDATE: the Libertarian Party has a pair of candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, and they are likely to sue.
On March 18, the Hawaii House Judiciary Committee passed SB 94. It requires general election presidential candidates to post their latest federal income tax return on their own web page. It also forbids presidential electors from voting for anyone who has not done that.
The vote was 6-2. The two “no” votes were the Speaker of the House, Calvin K. Y. Say, and the legislature’s longest-serving Republican, Cynthia Thielen.
On March 19, the Arizona House Elections Committee passed SB 1154 by 6-4. This is the bill that moves the non-presidential primary from late August to early August. It also moves the petition for a newly-qualifying party from February of the election year to November of the year before the election.
On March 19, the Arkansas House passed SB 445, which moves all primaries in presidential years from May to March. It also moves the petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties from January of the election year, to October of the year before the election. The vote was 74-8
