On March 23, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Frank v Walker, the case over Wisconsin’s law requiring certain kinds of government phot0-ID for voters at the polls. Election law professor Rick Hasen writes about that at his blog, electionlawblog. He is an opponent of strict photo-ID laws but is more interested in the Texas case, as he explains.
Wisconsin holds local elections on April 7, and it is not clear whether the requirement will be in effect for that election.
On Saturday, March 21, the New Mexico legislature adjourned for the year. The 2015 session did not pass many election law bills. Interesting bills that had been introduced, but which did not pass, were:
1. HB 151, to let 17-year-olds vote in a primary if the same voter would attain age 18 by the time of the general election.
2. HB 346, to move the primary for all office from June to March.
3. HB 405, to let people register to vote on election day.
4. SB 650, which would have allowed parties that qualify for a primary to invite independents into their primaries if they wish. The US Supreme Court already ruled in 1986 that parties with their own primary already have this power, so all the bill would have done was put procedures for this in the election code.
The legislature did pass one large bill, SB 643, which moves the process along by which individuals can register to vote on-line, links New Mexico to the national data base of registered voters, helps overseas absentee voters, and made many other small technical changes.
Between 2001 and 2014, New Mexico and North Dakota were tied for having the fewest minor party and independent candidates on the ballot for federal and state office. New Mexico ballot access for independent candidates is tied with Alabama for most severe in the nation, for statewide office. But activists were not able to get any bills introduced in 2015 to ease the ballot access laws. However, a challenge to the number of signatures for independent candidates is pending in U.S. District Court.
On March 20, the Pennsylvania Constitution, Green and Libertarian Parties filed this brief in Constitution Party v Aichele, e.d., 5:12cv-2726. This is the lawsuit that challenges the system under which petitioning groups are at risk of at much as $110,000 in court costs and attorney fees if they file a petition that doesn’t have enough valid signatures. Originally in this case the U.S. District Court had said the plaintiffs don’t have standing, but last year the Third Circuit said they do have standing and sent the case back to the U.S. District Court.
The Arkansas Libertarian Party has just begun its 2016 petition for party status. The requirement is 10,000 valid signatures, which must be gathered in a 3-month window that the party chooses.
The Arkansas Green Party has not yet decided whether to attempt that petition, or just do the presidential petition, which only needs 1,000 valid signatures.
The Republican National Committee has determined that the first Republican presidential debate will be August 15 in Cleveland, Ohio. Party rules say only nine debates will be permitted, to be held from August 2015 through March 2016. Not yet determined is who will be invited into the August 2015 Cleveland debate. There are 19 prominent Republicans who have set up exploratory committees to decide whether to run. There are none who have actually declared, but it is expected that U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas will formally declare on March 23.
