On June 14, the California Assembly Elections Committee passed SB 568 by 4-1. It moves the primary for all office, in presidential years, from June to March. If enacted, it would mean that no one could get on the November ballot for Congress or state partisan office unless he or she filed in the year before the election. The California Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, testified in favor of the bill. But he did not focus attention on the part of the bill that affects congressional and state office elections. Court precedents are unanimous that states cannot close off all routes to the November ballot with a filing deadline that early. When California had a March primary for all office in the past, that was at a time when it was still possible for independent candidates to petition onto the November ballot as late as mid-August of the election year.

It seems clear that the bill will pass the Assembly, because the Assembly this year already passed a similar bill, AB 84. The only difference between AB 84 and SB 568 is that SB 568 calls for a primary in late March, with the provision that the Governor has the power to move it to an earlier date (but not to a later date). AB 84 sets the primary in early March but has no provision for the Governor to shift the date.

New Hampshire holds a special election to fill the vacant State House seat, in the Grafton 9 district, on September 5. Qualified parties hold primaries for this seat on July 18. On June 14, the New Hampshire Ballot Law Commission ordered that John Babiarz be permitted to file for the Libertarian primary. See this story.

Babiarz had been refused when he went to file for the Libertarian primary, because he was a registered independent. However, there were no registered Libertarians, in the eyes of the state, until early this year. That is because the Libertarian Party was not a ballot-qualified party until the votes had been counted in the November 8, 2016 election.

Voters in New Hampshire may not change parties at any time they wish. They must wait until their town clerk opens up the voter registration records and allows voters to change parties. Babiarz had not been permitted to register Libertarian after the special election was called. The Ballot Law Commission felt this was unfair, and ordered state and town election officials to accept his filing.

Babiarz has been a Libertarian Party activist in New Hampshire for many years, and has run for office as a Libertarian many times.

Earlier this year, the Delaware House passed HB 89, which moves the non-presidential primary from September to April. The bill has not moved at all in the Senate, and the Delaware legislature will adjourn for the year in two weeks.

There are two versions of the bill. One version moves the deadline for newly-qualifying parties to get on the ballot from August to March, but the other version does not.