Utah Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck (D-Salt Lake City) has introduced HB 349. It provides that ranked-choice voting (also known as instant runoff voting) would be used for all partisan office in primaries. Thanks to Brendan Phillips for this news.
On February 14, the New Hampshire House Elections Committee defeated HB 384, which would have set up a committee to study the state’s ballot access laws. All the Republicans on the Committee voted against the bill; all the Democrats supported the bill. Republicans have a majority in the New Hampshire House. Thanks to Darryl Perry for this news.
Alabama State Senator Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) says that Alabama law requires the Governor to call a special election for U.S. Senate this year, instead of waiting until 2018. See this story. The Governor has already appointed State Attorney General Luther Strange to fill the seat that was left vacant when Jeff Sessions resigned from the Senate to become U.S. Attorney General.
No federal law requires states to hold special elections for U.S. Senate any earlier than the next regularly scheduled-election for congress. The law is very different for U.S. House vacancies than for U.S. Senate vacancies. Each state has its own law on special elections for Senate vacancies.
On February 8, the South Dakota Senate unanimously passed HB 1037, which sets up procedures for an independent presidential candidate to use a stand-in vice-presidential candidate, and for an independent candidate for Governor to use a stand-in for Lieutenant Governor. The bill also codifies the policy announced a year ago that lets newly-qualifying parties have until July to submit their petition, if they are willing to give up running for Congress, legislature or Governor that first year on the ballot. Otherwise the petition deadline remains in March, a policy that is being litigated in Libertarian Party of South Dakota v Krebs. Discovery is underway in that lawsuit.
HB 1037 now returns to the House for concurrence in the Senate amendment.
Currently, Montana requires presidential primary candidates to submit a petition of 500 signatures. Any registered voter may sign. Representative Bryce Bennett (D-Missoula) has introduced HB 288. It would permit candidates to avoid the petition if they pay a filing fee equal to 1% of the annual salary of a U.S. Senator, which is currently approximately $1,800.
