The May 16 Detroit News has this editorial about Michigan’s petitioning requirements to get on various ballots. It says, “Earning spots on the ballot should demand nothing more of candidates than a signed affidavit verifying they meet the legal requirements for holding office.” Thanks to Nicholas Madaj and Jack Dean for the link.
The Rio Grande Institute is a non-partisan New Mexico organizations that studies ideas for improving government and society. On May 4, the Institute recommended easing ballot access for minor party and independent candidates. See here.
New Mexico will probably be one of only three or four states this year with no minor party or independent candidates on the ballot in November for statewide office. Others will be Alabama, and probably California. Washington state is the only state with no statewide races in 2014.
The biggest problem with New Mexico ballot access is the state’s unique law that says a qualified minor party must submit large petitions for each of its nominees. No other state requires the nominees of qualified political parties to submit signatures. Sometimes candidates must submit petitions to get on a primary ballot, but candidates seeking a party nomination are not party nominees.
On May 15, Congressman John Conyers was added as a co-plaintiff to one of the two cases that challenges the Michigan law that requires petitioners for candidates to be registered voters. Because some other co-plaintiffs were also added, the case formerly known as Willis-Pittman is now named Moore v Johnson, e.d., 2:14cv-11903. Thanks to Thomas Jones for this news.
On May 15, the California Assembly unanimously passed AB 2351, which eases the definition of “political party.” The bill alters the vote test (that a group must poll 2% in each midterm year for at least one statewide office) by moving the test from the general election to the primary. The bill changes the alternate registration test by lowering it from 1% of the last gubernatorial vote (which will probably be approximately 110,000 registrations for 2016), to .33% of the total number of registered voters (which will probably be approximately 65,000 for 2016).
Assuming this bill is signed into law, North Carolina will require support from more voters than any other state, to get a newly-qualifying party on the ballot. The North Carolina legislature only came into session on May 14, so there is time for the North Carolina legislature to take up the pending ballot access bill, although there has been no indication so far this year North Carolina legislative leaders are inclined to do that.
The last time the California legislature eased the requirements for a newly-qualifying party to get on the ballot was 1929. The 1929 bill passed unanimously, and created the 1% (of the last gubernatorial vote) registration method, and lowered the petition for newly-qualifying parties from 3% to 1%. However, in 1937, the California legislature increased the petition alternative from 1% to 10%, mostly in reaction to the Communist Party having qualified in 1934. Thanks to Bob Richard for the news about AB 2351.
Oregon has two initiative petitions circulating, both of which would establish a top-two primary. Mark Frohnmayer is sponsoring petition #54, which would establish a top-two system and also use approval voting in the primary. James Kelly, a well-connected businessman, is sponsoring petition #55, which sets up a top-two system but does not use approval voting at any stage.
All initiatives in Oregon this year need 87,213 valid signatures, by July 3.
