On April 14, the Connecticut Joint Committee on Government Administration & Elections passed SB 1156. This is the bill requested by the Independent Party to ease some of the paperwork for getting party nominees on the ballot. For a party that polled at least 1% for a statewide office in the last election, but which does not have qualified status for a particular U.S. House or legislative district, petitioning can commence without the need for a cumbersome declaration that the party has a committee in that district that has approved the party label.

A U.S. District Court in San Francisco will hear Peace & Freedom Party v Weber on Friday, August 22. This is the California minor party lawsuit against the top-two system.

On April 21, the Arkansas League of Women Voters filed a federal lawsuit to overturn many new restrictions on the initiative process, as well as some old restrictions. League of Women Voters of Arkansas v Jester, w.d., 5:25cv-5087.

The lawsuit attacks the in-state residency requirement for initiative petitioners, the new law that tells petitioners that they can’t accept a signature until the petitioner has seen the signer’s photo ID; the new law that says the names and addresses of paid circulators must be submitted before they can work and this information will be a public record; the new law that requires circulators to read the entire description of the initiative to anyone who is approached; the new law that requires circulators to tell everyone they approach that “petition fraud” is a crime; and many other restrictions.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Timothy L. Brooks, an Obama appointee.