On January 11, the Kentucky Senate passed SB 4 by 24-11. It moves elections for statewide state office, including Governor, from the odd year before a presidential election, to presidential election years. All Republicans voted “yes” and all Democrats voted “no.” Democrats believe that if the state officers are elected in presidential years, that will help Republican candidates for statewide state office.

The bill now goes to the House. Because it changes the state constitution, it needs 60 votes. The House has 64 Republicans and 36 Democrats.

This Dallas Morning News story tells the latest on the lawsuit filed by the Republican Party to remove all Democrats from the 2018 primary ballot in Dallas County. The Republican Party says the county Democratic chair did not sign the document letting the county elections office know which candidates to print on the primary ballot. Democrats have responded by saying the Republican Party does not have standing, and even if it did, the law does not require that signature. The case is Dallas County Republican Party v Dallas County Democratic Party, Dallas District Court, DC-18-821.

The overseas absentee primary ballot have already been printed.

Representative Dan Stacy (R-Blue Springs) has introduced HB 1233, the increase the number of signatures for a statewide independent from 10,000 signatures, to 2% of the number of registered voters. It also increases the number of signatures for an independent running for district or county partisan office from 2% of the last gubernatorial vote, to 2% of the number of registered voters.

Stacy has also introduced HB 1232, which forbids “sore losers”. In 2012 Gary Johnson ran in the Republican presidential primary in Missouri, and he then appeared as the Libertarian presidential nominee in Missouri in November 2012. If HB 1232 had been enacted, Johnson could not have appeared on the November ballot.