On January 26, the California Secretary of State said the proponents of an initiative for California independence may begin to collect signatures. They need 585,407 valid signatures by July 25, 2017. Here is the organization’s web page. The initiative, which hopes to be on the ballot in November 2018, would ask voters if they want to authorize a special election in 2019 for independence. At that 2019 vote, the measure would not take effect unless it got 55% “yes” and unless at least 50% of the registered voters participated.

Idaho State Senator Grant Burgoyne (D-Boise) has introduced SB 1001, which would set up a top-two system for all partisan office. The bill even appears to extend to presidential elections. If such a bill had been in effect in 2016, Ted Cruz would have been one of the names on the November ballot for president, because he won the Republican Idaho presidential primary.

North Dakota Representative Corey Mock has introduced HB 1417, which makes it easier for small qualified parties to nominate candidates for the legislature, and also makes it easier for them to remain on the ballot.

The existing law requires a party to attract approximately 10% to 15% of all the primary voters to choose that party’s primary ballot. If that doesn’t happen, that party can’t nominate anyone for the legislature. Because of this law, only the Democratic and Republican Parties have had any legislative nominees since 1976. The bill deletes this primary vote test. No other state has such a ballot access hurdle for party nominees.

The bill also lowers the vote test for a party to remain on the ballot from 5% for certain statewide offices, to 2%.

Mock is a Democrat. The bill has a Democratic co-sponsor and four Republican co-sponsors. The Democratic co-sponsor is Senator Erin Oban. The Republican co-sponsors are Senator Jordan Kannianen, and Representatives Christopher Olson, Luke Simons, and Nathan Toman.