On April 12, Nebraska LB 10 failed to pass. This is the bill to convert Nebraska to a system used in 48 other states, in which the presidential candidate who carries the state wins all of the state’s presidential electors. The outcome was a surprise, because on April 4, the legislature had voted by more than two-thirds to kill the filibuster against the bill.

On April 4, the current system only had support from 15 State Senators, but on April 12, the current system was supported by 17 State Senators. Two State Senators, both Republicans, switched their votes. Tommy Garrett, from Bellevue, is in his first term; Bob Krist, from Omaha, is in his second term. Thanks to Rick Hasen for this news.

Both houses of the Maine legislature have given preliminary approval to LD 1673. The Senate passed it April 11 and the House on April 12. It sets up a presidential primary for Maine. The date would be set by the Secretary of State, but the primary would be on one of the Tuesdays in March. The Secretary of State would set the date by December of the year before the election.

Candidates would need 2,000 signatures. Only party members could vote in the presidential primaries. The bill also says the Secretary of State shall study how much the primaries would cost and report by December 1, 2017. If the Maine legislature wants to save money, it should provide for filing fees instead of signatures, because it costs tax dollars to check petition validity. Or the Maine legislature could have provided that candidates discussed in the news media be placed on the ballot automatically. Thanks to Thomas MacMillan for the news.

Mother Jones has this article about Victor Williams, a law professor who has filed for write-in status in Republican presidential primaries in five states. Williams is suing in several states for a ruling that Ted Cruz does not meet the constitutional qualifications to be President. By running in presidential primaries himself, he hopes to show that he has standing to file these cases.