On May 16, the Alabama legislative session ended. SB 15, the ballot access reform bill, did not pass. The bill made more progress this year than it ever has before. It passed the Senate overwhelmingly and the House committee unanimously. But it never got a House vote.
The legislature is now in a special session, but no bills can be dealt with in the special session that were not named on the Governor’s list, unless the bill sponsor gets unanimous consent to introduce it.
On May 17, five members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill to protect certain kinds of voting rights. The lead sponsor is John Lewis of Georgia. His bill, which doesn’t have a bill number yet, is co-sponsored by James Clyburn of South Carolina, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Robert Brady of Pennsylvania, and John Conyers of Michigan. All are Democrats.
The bill can be seen here. It requires states to permit ex-felons to register to vote in federal elections, and it requires states to provide for election-day registration. It requires states to let individuals to file voter registration forms if they are at least sixteen years old, even though those individuals could not vote until they are 18. The bill requires states to take certain steps to make it easier to register to vote.
The bill is somewhat similar to HR 108, by John Conyers, which was introduced last year but which has not made any headway.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune has this story about an obscure procedure on the Americans Elect web page, to enable ordinary members of Americans Elect to send in feedback on what Americans Elect should do next.
On May 9, the Ninth Circuit heard oral argument in Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County v Bowen, 11-55316. This case challenges a California state law that makes it illegal for petitioners to work outside their home district, when they are circulating petitions to place candidates on the ballot for district office. The law also makes it illegal for petitioners to work outside their home county.
The panel consisted of Judges Harry Pregerson, Susan P. Graber, and Marsha S. Berzon. The judges seemed to believe that it is wrong for the California Secretary of State to say in court that she doesn’t enforce the requirement, when her web page says she does enforce it. One of the judges even said to the state’s attorney, “I suggest you advise your client to stop lying on the documents she promulgates to the public.”
The Oklahoma House has now appointed members to the Conference Committee that will consider the final shape of HB 1058, the bill to ease ballot access for newly-qualifying parties. The House members of the Conference Committee recently met and voted to continue to advocate for the original bill, which lowers the number of signatures in all election years to exactly 22,500 signatures.
The Senate had passed that bill but had amended it so it makes no changes at all in presidential election years, although the Senate version of the bill does improve ballot access in mid-term years. Thanks to Micah Gamino for this news.
