New Mexico requires independent candidates to obtain signatures of 3% of the last gubernatorial vote. The only state with a higher percentage is Nebraska, and Nebraska’s requirement is under court attack. Also Alabama is tied with New Mexico, at 3%. The Santa Fe New Mexican has this article about the severity of the New Mexico laws. Thanks to Rick Lass for the link.
On March 9, a 3-judge U.S. District Court heard oral arguments on which U.S. House districts should be used this year. See this story. One judge suggested that the panel will wait to see what the U.S. Supreme Court does. The proponents of the new districts mentioned that if the new districts were invalidated now, federal law would require Pennsylvania to elect all its U.S. House members in at-large elections.
The Bylaws and Rules Committee of the Democratic National Committee is considering a proposal to abolish super-delegates to national presidential conventions. See this BuzzFeed story. Thanks to Michael Drucker for the link.
California’s U.S. House district 48 is one of the seats that Democrats had been hoping to win in 2018. However, this article in the Orange County Register says that with two strong Republicans, and eight Democrats, running in the June primary, chances are good that no Democrat will qualify for the November ballot. The two Republicans are incumbent Dana Rohrabacher and former Republican Party state chair Scott Baugh.
UPDATE: Democrats are also worried about the same problem in two other California districts, the 39th and the 49th. See this NPR story.
The Utah legislature adjourned Thursday night, March 8. Neither of the two bills that had passed the House, affecting how parties nominate, received a vote in the Senate, so both bills died.
HB 485 would have said that parties can’t change their rules affecting nominations in the election year itself. The bill was aimed at the Republican Party, which had passed a bylaw earlier this year saying any Republican who submits a petition to get on the primary ballot is deemed not to be a Republican.
HB 338 would have repealed the law that lets members of qualified parties petition for a place on the primary ballot, even if they lack much support at a party convention.
