The Greenville News has this story about the attempts by some leaders of the South Carolina Republican Party to nominate by convention in 2014. State law says any party is free to decide for itself whether to nominate by primary or convention. But, state law also says that if a party wants to switch to convention nomination, it can only make the change if 75% of the delegates to the state convention vote for that change. South Carolina’s ballot-qualified minor parties always nominate by convention, but the Republican Party hasn’t nominated by convention for important statewide office since the late 1970’s.

Party leaders who favor nomination by convention for 2014 say what they really want is a closed Republican primary, which would require the state to start asking voters to choose a party on voter registration forms. However, the state legislature won’t pass a bill to do that. The party also has a lawsuit pending in federal court to obtain a closed primary for itself.

On March 28, a new bill to create a top-two primary for Montana was introduced. SB 408, though not a proposed state constitutional amendment, would ask the voters if they wish to pass the measure. Because it goes to the voters, it does not need to be signed by the Governor. If it passes, it will be on the 2014 ballot.

On April 2, SB 408 passed the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee by a vote of 4-3. All Republicans on the Committee voted “Yes” and all Democrats voted “No.”

The bill appears faulty because it doesn’t re-define “political party.” Currently, in Montana, parties are groups that polled at least 5% (of the winning gubernatorial candidate’s vote total) for any statewide race. It appears that if the bill were enacted, the Democratic and Republican Parties would remain on the ballot because they always poll 5% for President (top-two bills never try to change presidential elections). But there would be no way for a party to remain ballot-qualified unless it could poll 5% for President, because under the bill, except for President, parties wouldn’t have nominees.

No one testified against the bill in committee, except the Secretary of State, because opponents did not know about the bill. The bill is being pushed forward by Republicans who are angry that the Libertarian Party held the balance of power last year in both the gubernatorial election and the U.S. Senate election, and Democrats won both.