On March 13, the Arkansas House State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee passed SB 445. It moves the primary for all office, in presidential years, from May to March. It also moves the petition deadline for a newly-qualifying party from January to October of the year before the election. The bill had already passed the Senate.
The Nebraska Senate Government, Military & Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing on SB 98 on March 13. In Nebraska, committees don’t vote on bills at the time of the hearing. But many bills never even get a committee hearing, so this shows the bill is making progress. It lowers the non-presidential independent candidate petitions from 10% of the number of registered voters, to 4,000 for statewide office.
The old 10% law was held unconstitutional in 2018.
On March 12, the Missouri House Rules Committee passed HB 26 by 6-2. It changes Missouri from open primaries to closed primaries. The bill had already passed the House Election Law Committee. Here is the consultant’s analysis of the bill, which also lists who testified for it and against it, and a summary of their testimony.
On March 6, Arizona SB 1057 passed the State Senate 28-2. It moves the primary from the last Tuesday in August, to the first Tuesday in August. It also moves the deadline for a candidate to file for the primary from 90 days before the primary to 120 days before the primary.
It also moves the deadline for a non-presidential independent candidate petition to early April. It moves the deadline for a petition for a new party from February of the election year, to late November of the year before the election. Read the bill here.
SB 94, which would require presidential candidates to reveal their tax returns or be left off the ballot, had been set to be heard in the Hawaii House Judiciary Committee on March 11. However, the committee put the bill over until the March 18 hearing.
