U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Representative John Conyers (D-Mi.) have introduced a bill to permit ex-felons to vote in federal elections. Here is a link to the text of the bill, which does not yet have a bill number. The bill’s preamble contains a great deal of factual information about the status of ex-felons, relative to voting.
Alabama State Senator Quinton Ross (D-Montgomery) has introduced SB 240. It moves the primary for president and all other office, during presidential election years, from the 2nd Tuesday in March to the 1st Tuesday in March. Even though the bill is re-enacting the law that says runoff primaries are six weeks after the first primary, the bill does not amend that part of the law. Yet the Eleventh Circuit has already ruled that Alabama is violating federal law by having the primary and the runoff primary so close together. Perhaps this means that Alabama is planning to ask the U. S. Supreme Court to overturn the Eleventh Circuit decision, United States v State of Alabama.
UPDATE: the Secretary of State’s office says a bill will be introduced to move the date of the runoff primary. In the meantime, three Republican Representatives, Mike Ball, Steve McMillan, and David Standridge, have introduced HB 79. It abolishes runoff primaries.
If SB 240 passes, the petition for newly-qualifying parties and non-presidential candidates will be even earlier than it already is. Thanks to Josh Putnam for the news about SB 240.
In 2013, Republicans in the Arizona legislature passed an omnibus election law bill, HB 2305, that injured voting rights for minor parties, and for Democrats as well. The Arizona Democratic Party and its allies, especially unions, then mustered the strength to complete a referendum petition against HB 2305. When the referendum petition succeeded, the Republican majority then repealed their own bill, so that the referendum against the bill was canceled.
This year, Republican legislators are advancing three bills that contained provisions from HB 2305. This blog has already noted HB 2608, which makes it more difficult for minor party candidates to get on their own party’s primary ballot. In addition, the Senate has passed SB 1340, which requires individuals who drop off more than 10 absentee ballots at the polls to show a government photo-ID which is then posted on a state web page. And the House has passed HB 2407, which makes it more difficult for initiatives and referenda to get on the ballot. See this story.
On March 18, the Vermont omnibus election law bill was amended to delete a provision that would have made it more difficult for parties to nominate candidates. The original bill abolished the ability of a party that has its own primary to nominate someone by party meeting after the primary, in case no one had won that party’s primary for that office. But the amended bill no longer has that provision. The Vermont Progressive Party worked to bring about this outcome. The bill is HB 477.
On March 18, the Alabama Senate Constitution, Ethics & Elections Committee passed SB 221, the bill that eases ballot access for newly-qualifying parties and independent candidates. The vote was 4-2. The only Democrat who was present, Linda Coleman, voted for the bill. Five Republican Senators were present, and three of them voted for the bill. The two Republicans who voted against the bill were Chairman Bill Hightower and Phil Williams. The bill now goes to the Senate Rules Committee.
Ballot access bills have passed this committee in the past. In 2013, SB 265 passed its first committee on April 4, but it didn’t advance any further. In 2011, SB 17 passed this committee on March 8, but then it was blocked in the Senate Rules Committee. Thanks to Joshua Cassity for this news and for the rollcall vote, set out in his comment.
