National Journal has this article about the difficulty for candidates for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, especially those who are trying to get on a primary ballot, because of the weather. The primary petitions are due February 27.
Unfortunately, reporters for even the best-quality publications (Boston Globe, National Journal) never mention that Massachusetts is among the strictest states in the nation for primary ballot access. Nor do any of these articles ever mention there is a bill pending in the legislature to ease the requirements. Nor do the reporters mention the considerable body of case law that says petition requirements in special elections must be eased when the normal length of petitioning is not available.