Connecticut Representative Tim Bowles (D-Preston) has introduced a bill to lower the statewide independent candidate petition, and the statewide petition for newly-qualifying parties, from 7,500 signatures, to 5,000 signatures. The bill doesn’t have a bill number yet.

In 2012, the only statewide minor party or independent petitions that succeeded were the Libertarian Party’s petition for President and U.S. Senate, and the Independent Party’s U.S. Senate petition. Thanks to Mike DeRosa for this news.

On January 28, the Virginia Senate passed SB 690 by a vote of 23-17. This is the bill that lowers the number of signatures for presidential candidates (both presidential primary candidates, and general election candidates) from 10,000 signatures to 5,000. Republicans overwhelmingly backed the bill, by 17-3. Democrats were mostly opposed; six Democrats voted for the bill but fourteen voted against it.

The six Democrats who voted for the bill were these Senators: Charles Colgan, Creigh Deeds, Adam Ebbin, John Edwards, Ralph Northam, and Phillip Puckett.

The three Republicans who voted against the bill were these Senators: Ryan McDougle, Jeffrey McWaters, and William Stanley. Thanks to Kevin Hayes for this news.

This Washington Post article about Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican, says that he wants the legislature to ease ballot access. One paragraph says that he particularly endorses four particular bills. The article only identifies the bills by their sponsor, but it appears these are the four bills he favors: (1) HB 2213, by Delegate Joseph D. Morrissey (D-Henrico), which lowers all statewide petitions for all office, whether primary or general, from 10,000 to 5,000 signatures and creates an appeals process when a candidate is told he or she doesn’t have enough valid signatures; (2) HB 1346, by Delegate Mark Cole (R-Fredericksburg), which lowers only the presidential primary petitions from 10,000 to 5,000; (3) HB 1049, by Senator John Edwards (D-Roanoke), which lets inactive voters sign petitions; (4) HB 2147, by Delegate Richard L. Anderson, which requires that primary petitions actually be checked for validity (currently general election petitions are always checked for validity but primary petitions may not actually be checked).

Two bill sponsors not mentioned are Senator Richard Black (R-Leesburg), whose SB 690 has already passed all Senate committees and lowers all presidential petitions from 10,000 to 5,000; and Delegate Robert H. Brink (D-Arlington), whose HB 1898 repeals the ban on out-of-state circulators. A Libertarian Party lawsuit on that point is currently pending in the 4th circuit, so maybe, since Cuccinelli is Attorney General, he felt it would injure the state’s defense of the ban if he were to endorse that idea.

Cuccinelli is running for Governor this year, and he likely believes that being a champion of easier ballot access is popular with voters. The Democratic gubernatorial nominee is likely to be the former National Chair of the Democratic Party, who took the lead in 2004 in trying to keep Ralph Nader off the ballot in as many states as possible. Thanks to Rob Richie for the link.