Texas Representative Mayes Middleton (R-Wallisville) has introduced HB 4416. It raises the vote test for a party to remain on the ballot from 5% for any statewide office to 10%. If this bill had been law in the past, the Libertarian Party would have been removed from the ballot immediately after the general election of 2016. Middleton is in his first term.

Currently, the only states with 10% vote tests are New Jersey and Virginia. The median vote test of the 50 states is 2%. Texas also lets parties stay on if they got 2% for Governor, and HB 4416 does not alter that test.

On April 2, two registered Libertarians were elected to non-partisan local office in Oklahoma. Josh Clark was elected to the Dale School Board, and Chad Williams was elected to the Choctaw city council, ward one. Thanks to Bob Johnston for this news.

On April 2, the Hawaii Senate Judiciary Committee passed HB 712, one of the presidential tax returns bills. It only applies to president and vice-president. By contrast, SB 94, the defeated bill, applied to some state offices as well.