On September 23, the conference committee of the North Carolina legislature decided that HB 373 will provide that all 2016 primaries will be in March. See this story. Traditionally the state has held primaries for all office in May.

Candidates running in primaries will be required to file by December 21, 2015.

The bill has no effect on the petition deadlines for newly-qualifying parties or independent candidates. New party petitions will continue to be due in May, and independent candidate petitions in June. Here is the text of the bill. The bill’s provisions concerning the date of primaries only applies to 2016, not years further into the future. Both houses are expected to vote on the bill on September 24.

On September 23, a trial court in North Carolina ruled that the current lawsuit against the state law on government photo-ID for voters at the polls may continue. The legislature had eased the requirement earlier this year, and then argued that the case against the original photo-ID law should be dismissed on the grounds that it is moot. But today’s ruling says the plaintiffs may continue to attack the new, less restrictive ID rules. See this. Plaintiffs argue that the state constitution forbids any photo-ID requirement.

According to this article, the Kentucky League of Women Voters is hosting a debate for candidates for Lieutenant Governor on September 23. Three candidates are on the ballot, a Democrat, a Republican, and an independent, Heather Curtis.

The League says no one can be in its debate who didn’t register at 10% in the polls. However, no poll has ever been taken since Heather Curtis entered the race. The last poll was in July, before she and her gubernatorial running mate had submitted their ballot access petition. Her running mate was included in the last gubernatorial debate, because the sponsors of the gubernatorial debate were not so obtuse as to rely on a poll that didn’t mention all three candidates.