Georgia Ballot Access Bill Introduced

Posted on by February 9, 2019
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On February 8, a bill to greatly reduce ballot access barriers was introduced in the Georgia House. It is HB 191. The sponsors are three Democrats and one Republican: Dar’shun Kendrick (D-Lithonia), David Stover (R-Newnan), Vernon Jones (D-Lithonia), and Valencia Stovall (D-Forest Park).

The bill says that if a party is ballot-qualified for statewide office, then it is automatically qualified for all partisan office. And it lowers the number of signatures for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties. Currently the presidential petition is 7,500; the other staewide offices are 1% of the registered voters (over 50,000); and the district and county offices are 5% of the registered voters. The bill replaces all those with 200 signatures. Thanks to Garland Favorito for this news.

New York City Elects Public Advocate in Special Election on February 26

Posted on by February 9, 2019
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New York city elects three citywide officers, including Public Advocate. Before 1994, the office was “President of the City Council.” The office is fundamentally like Vice-Mayor; in other words, if the Mayor position becomes vacant, the Public Advocate becomes Mayor.

Public advocate is a partisan office in regular elections, but it is non-partisan in special elections. The previous elected Public Advocate was elected New York State Attorney General last year, so the Public Advocate position is being filled with a special election. Candidates needed 3,750 signatures to get on the February 2019 ballot. Seventeen qualified. Here is the list.

Candidates may have a label on the ballot next to their names, but the label can’t be the name of a political party.

Wyoming Ballot Access Bill Defeated in Committee

Posted on by February 9, 2019
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On February 4, the Wyoming House Corporations defeated HB 225 by 2-6. It would have eased the petition requirements for independent candidates and newly-qualifying parties, from 2% of the last US House vote, to 1%. It would also have lowered the vote test for a party to remain on from 2% to 1%. The bill’s sponsor was Representative Dan Zwonitzer (R-Cheyenne).

For the Tenth Time, New York Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow Introduces Bill to Double Vote Test for “Party” Definition

Posted on by February 9, 2019
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New York Assemblymember J. Gary Pretlow (D-Mt. Vernon) recently introduced AB 2603, to double the number of votes needed for a group to be a “political party” from 50,000 votes for Governor, to 100,000. This is the tenth session in a row that he has introduced the same bill. In no session did his bill make any headway.

The latest bill says it takes effect after the 2020 election, so if it were signed into law, the Libertarian, Independence, and SAM Parties would go off the ballot without having had a chance to go through another gubernatorial election to meet the new requirement.

The last time the New York legislature passed a bill to increase the number of votes for party status, in 1935, it wrote the bill to not take effect until after the next gubernatorial election, so as to respect due process.