On February 19, the Washington State House State Government Committee passed SB 5273. It had already passed the State Senate. It moves the presidential primary from May to the second week in March. Thanks to FrontloadingHQ for this news.
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On February 20, the Tennessee House Subcommittee on Elections and Campaign Finance passed HB 1273. It provides that voter registration forms will ask the applicant to choose a party, or else choose independent status. It also says that primaries in the future will be closed.
The bill is legally flawed because it does not take into account that any party with its own primary has a First Amendment freedom of association right to invite independents to vote in its primaries, per Tashjian v Republican Party of Connecticut, a 1986 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
The bill is ambiguous as to newly-qualifying parties, which nominate by convention. And it is ambiguous about the ability of voters to register into an unqualified party. It does provide that choices on the voter registration should include a blank line. The sponsor is Representative Andy Holt (R-Dresden).
On February 20, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed AB 2570, which reduces the number of signatures needed for candidates seeking a place on a primary ballot. However, the law only pertains to the 2019 partisan local elections. Also it only applies to the part of the state outside of New York city.
The motivation for the bill was that the date change for the primary, from September to June, meant that the primary petitioning period was into the time period when winter weather is severe.
Eight Oregon legislators have introduced SJR 22, which would amend the Constitution to change the voting age to 16. If the legislature approves it, it would be placed on the November 2020 ballot for the voters to decide whether to approve it. Thanks to Political Wire for this news.
Michael Steele, former national chair of the Republican Party, and Saul Anuzis, former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, have this op-ed in the Bangor Daily News. It argues in favor of the National Popular Vote, and quotes President Trump has having said that the winner of the national popular vote ought to be the person elected.