Pope Francis I recently said, “Perhaps public financing would allow for me, the citizen, to know that I’m financing each candidate with a given amount of money.” He made other remarks that show he is worried that when campaigns are funded privately, good government is less likely. See this story. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.
On March 12, four Alabama State Senators introduced a bill to ease ballot access. The bill, SB 221, lowers the number of signatures for independent candidates, and newly-qualifying parties, from 3% of the last gubernatorial vote, to 1.5%. That change affects petitions for Congress and state office. Petitions for partisan county office would continue to be 3%.
The bill also eases the petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties, for Congress and state office, from primary day, to the third Wednesday after the runoff primary. The deadline for petitions for county office, and for independent candidates, would not change.
The lead sponsor is Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster). The co-sponsors are Senator Paul Sanford (R-Huntsville), Rusty Glover (R-Semmes), and Tom Whatley (R-Auburn). Thanks to Joshua Cassity for this news.
On March 11, the Arizona Senate Government Committee passed HB 2608 by a vote of 4-3. It makes it substantially more difficult for members of small qualified parties to get on their own party’s primary ballot. All Republicans voted “yes” and all Democrats voted “no”. The bill has already passed the House, and that was also a party-line vote.
Currently, Massachusetts has a March presidential primary and a primary for other office in early September. Representative James Dwyer (D-Woburn) has introduced HB 551, which combines both primaries and puts them in June. The bill would not affect the deadline for independent candidates, and the nominees of unqualified parties, to submit petitions. Thanks to Josh Putnam for this news.
Here is the brief filed by the D-R Party in the lawsuit over whether the Democratic and Republican primary turnout was so low in June 2014 that, if state law were to be followed, those parties would not be entitled to have party columns on the general election ballot. The case is D-R Organization of New Jersey v Guadagno, Superior Court, Mercer County, Appellate Division, A-206-14.
