Californians Will Probably Have Only Democrats on November 2018 Ballot for Lieutenant Governor

Posted on by August 5, 2017
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This Los Angeles Times article says four Democrats who are running for California Lieutenant Governor have raised at least $600,000 in campaign funds, and a fifth who might seek that office has raised $2.8 million. It also says, “So far, no major Republican candidates are actively campaigning for Lieutenant Governor.”

Under the top-two system that has been in effect in California since 2011, this probably means that the only two choices on the November 2018 ballot for Lieutenant Governor will be two Democrats. No write-ins will be permitted.

California elections for Lieutenant Governor are separate from gubernatorial elections. The only other populous state that has separate elections for Governor and Lieutenant Governor is Texas.

Illinois Governor Has Until August 28 to Sign or Veto Automatic Voter Registration Bill

Posted on by August 5, 2017
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As noted earlier, the Illinois legislature passed SB 1933 at the end of May, and sent it to Governor Bruce Rauner on June 29. It provides that election officials will register every adult citizen known to exist, unless the individual declines. The State Journal-Register has this editorial, urging the Governor to sign the bill. He has until August 28 to act. The August 1, 2017 print Ballot Access News was in error when it said the deadline to act on the bill is July 29.

North Carolina Legislature Will Re-Convene August 18

Posted on by August 5, 2017
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The North Carolina re-convenes on Friday, August 18. According to this story, the legislature will take up not only redistricting, but other election law bills. This is good news for SB 656, the ballot access bill that has passed both houses of the legislature already, but still isn’t through the legislature because the two versions differ.

The bill to redraw legislative districts will probably receive a vote on August 24 or August 25.

Congressional Bill Would Raise Postal Rates for Political Parties

Posted on by August 5, 2017
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The Postal Service Reform Act of 2017, HB 756, would raise postage rates for political parties that are recognized by the Federal Election Commission as “national committees” and “state committees.” The bill passed the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on March 16, 2017. It had been introduced on January 31, 2017, by Congressman Jason Chaffetz, and has seven Republican co-sponsors and eight Democratic co-sponsors.

The bill makes many other changes as well. Here is a summary of the bill’s provisions.

Ever since 1976, political parties have enjoyed the ability to send postal mail at the non-profit rates. Originally only the Democratic and Republican Parties could use non-profit rates, but a U.S. District Court ruling in 1980, Greenburg v Bolger, expanded that to all parties recognized as national committees.

Utah Won’t Appeal Court Decision on Early Deadline for New Parties in Special Elections

Posted on by August 4, 2017
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As already noted, on August 2, a U.S. District Court struck down Utah procedures that didn’t permit a new party to get on the ballot in a special U.S. House election, unless the party had already been ballot-qualified when the election was called. According to this story, the state won’t appeal.

The decision will be somewhat helpful in other cases against early petition deadlines for new parties, both in special elections and also regular elections. It may also help persuade the Utah legislature that the petition deadline for new parties in regular elections (November 30 of the year before the election) is flawed and ought to be eased. The 2017 legislature moved that deadline from February of an election year, back to the year before the election. That Utah change was one of only two restrictive ballot access bills that passed in any state in 2017. The other bill that passed was a North Carolina bill that moved the independent petition deadline from June to April. Other restrictive bills that were introduced in 2017, but which failed to pass, were in Alaska, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New Mexico, and New York.