Wisconsin Legislature Passes Bill for an Earlier Non-Presidential Primary

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On November 3, the Wisconsin legislature passed SB 116, which moves the non-presidential primary from September to August, and which also moves various deadlines for ballot access to earlier dates.

The independent presidential petition is now due in early August instead of early September; the petition deadline for a full party is now May 1 instead of June 1; and the independent non-presidential candidate petitions are now due in June instead of July. It is considered certain that the Governor will sign the bill.

Nebraska Legislative Maneuvering over Electoral College

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Nebraska and Maine are the only states in which each U.S. House district elects its own presidential elector. In November 2008, Barack Obama won one electoral vote from Nebraska, because he carried the 2nd district, centered on Omaha. Ever since, bills have been introduced in the Nebraska legislature to reimpose the old winner-take-all system for presidential electors, but they have not yet passed. Currently, LB 21 is stuck in the Government Committee.

This story shows that a Democratic member of the legislature had recently applied for a seat on the Revenue Committee, but then he realized, if he got it, he would be leaving the Government Committee (Nebraska Senators can only serve on one committee). The Government Committee is currently tied between members who support the current district system for presidential electors, and those who support LB 21, the bill to create winner-take-all. When the Democratic Senator realized that if he shifted committees, that would allow appointment of a new member who might support LB 21, the Democratic Senator withdrew his request to transfer committees. So, for the moment, LB 21 still can’t pass.

Nebraska’s legislature is officially non-partisan, but this incident shows that in reality, the behavior of Nebraska legislators is just as partisan as if the law provided for partisan elections for the legislature. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.

Last-Ditch Effort to Avoid Two Primaries in Ohio Fails

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On November 3, the Ohio House was called back into session to vote on HB 369, a new set of U.S. House district boundaries. Ohio Republican House members, who have a majority but less than two-thirds of the membership of the House, had hoped the new plan would attract a two-thirds “aye” vote. The new maps were designed to increase the number of districts with a substantial majority of black voters. Republicans hoped enough black state house Democrats would vote for the bill. If HB 369 could pass with a two-thirds majority in each house, it would go into effect immediately and would not be subject to referendum.

However, HB 369 did not pass. See this story. The story does not specifically say that the bill didn’t pass, but, in reality, it didn’t pass. If it were to pass, then Ohio could have its presidential primary and its U.S. House primary in March instead of on June 12. But as it stands now, the presidential primary and U.S. House primary will be in June, even though the primary for U.S. Senate and state legislature will be in March. The reason the presidential primary must be in June is that Ohio presidential primaries elect delegates to national conventions from each U.S. House district, and so if the U.S. House district boundaries aren’t known, the presidential primary can’t go forward.

Arizona Republic Fierce Editorial Condemns Arizona Republicans for Removing Redistricting Commission Chair

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The November 3 Arizona Republic, the daily newspaper for Phoenix, has this editorial about the Republican majority in the Senate’s removal of the chair of the Redistricting Commission. The Commission has 5 members, and the Senate and the Governor removed the only independent member. Supporters of the Commission charge that due process was not followed, and the matter will end up in court.

Wisconsin Primary Date Bill Amended to Be Less Harmful to New Political Parties

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On November 1, the Wisconsin Assembly passed SB 116, the bill to move the non-presidential primary from September to August. However, the Assembly also amended the bill. The original bill moved the petition deadline for qualifying a new party from June 1 to April 1. However, as amended, the bill now sets a May 1 petition deadline.

There is no change to the number of signatures for a new party, 10,000. Nor is there any change in the existing law that makes it illegal to circulate the party petition in an odd year.

The bill shifts the petitioning periods for independent candidates. Current law says independent presidential petitions are circulated between August 1 and the first Tuesday in September; the bill changes that from July 1 to the first Tuesday in August. Current law says non-presidential independents circulate petitions between June 1 and the second Tuesday in July; the bill changes that to between May 1 and the second Tuesday in June. The bill now goes back to the Senate.