Both houses of the Mississippi legislature have passed bills to move the midterm primaries from June to March. Both bills passed unanimously. However, they differ slightly, so further action will be needed.

SB 2656, by Senator Jeremy England, moves them to the first Tuesday in March. HB 293, by Representative Noah Sanford, moves them to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

The change hurts ballot access, because the deadlines for new parties and independent candidates are tied to the date of the primary. So these deadlines will now become several months earlier, assuming one of the bills passes. However, they have no effect on the deadline for independent presidential candidates, nor for new parties that just want to participate in the presidential election.

Maine is one of only six states in which the only statewide executive officer chosen by the voters is Governor (or, a joint ticket of Governor and Lieutenant Governor). The other states are Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee.

Many bills are pending in the Maine legislature to amend the State Constitution and provide that the voters should choose Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Treasurer. Most of them have Republican sponsors, but LD 452 is introduced by Democratic State Senator Joe Baldacci. The other bills are HD 147, 149, 150, 455, and 508.

Because the bills amend the Constitution, they need two-thirds in each house of the legislature. Some of the bills provide for four-year terms, and others for two-year terms.

Currently the Maine legislature chooses the three executive officers.

Arizona State Senator Eva Diaz (D-Tolleson) has introduced HB 2844. It says that if two or more independent candidates file for the same office, they must face each other in a non-partisan primary, and whichever of them wins is the only independent candidate who can run in November.

The concept behind the bill seems to be a belief that all independent voters are associated together with each other, but this is false. Independent voters, collectively, have nothing in common with each other in the sense that members of a party have some beliefs in common.

The bill would not apply to presidential independent candidates.