This column by North Carolina writer Tom Campbell says the North Carolina legislature may move the 2018 primary from May to a later month, because so many election law problems are still unresolved, especially district boundaries for both U.S. House and legislature.
On January 8, the Kentucky House Committee on Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs unanimously passed HB 23. It moves Kentucky elections for statewide state officials from the odd year just prior to a presidential election year, to presidential election years.
Kentucky has been electing its Governors in the odd year just prior to presidential election years ever since 1851, so this would be a big change for the state. The bill says that the officers elected in 2019 would have five-year terms, and the next elections for those offices would be 2024. If the bill passes the legislature, then the voters will vote on the idea, probably in November 2018.
The only other states that elect their Governors in the odd year before a presidential election year are Louisiana and Mississippi.
On January 11, a status conference was held in U.S. District Court in Constitution Party of Pennsylvania v Cortes, e.d., 5:12cv-2726. At the hearing the attorneys for Pennsylvania state government said they would consent to dropping the county distribution requirement for statewide minor party and independent candidate petitions. Presumably the judge will soon prepare a court order, setting out this idea. The distribution requirement only existed (during 2016) because the judge had written it into the 2016 settlement. But then the Third Circuit ruled recently that county distribution requirements for statewide petitions are very likely unconstitutional, and sent the case back to settle that point.
The county distribution requirement only applies to state office, not President or U.S. Senate. It requires 250 signatures from each of ten counties, on top of the requirement for 5,000 signatures statewide.
On January 9, the City Council of Washington, D.C., tentatively passed B22-0192. It sets up public financing for candidates for Mayor and City Council.
On January 9, the New Mexico Supreme Court rejected a last-ditch appeal by the city of Santa Fe, over whether the city should use ranked choice voting in its 2018 city elections. A lower state court last month had ordered the city to use ranked choice voting. Even though the city council then authorized its use, it was still asking the State Supreme Court to reverse the lower court. But the State Supreme Court rejected the city’s request. See this story. Thanks to Howard Bashman for the link.
