Texas Representative Chris Turner (D-Arlington) has introduced HB 2007. It says that presidential electors in Texas will be chosen according to the proportion of popular votes that each presidential candidate receives in Texas. For example, if his bill had been law in 1992, Ross Perot would have received 7 electoral votes, George H. W. Bush would have received 13, and Bill Clinton would have received 12. Actually, of course, President Bush received all 32 electoral votes.

The surprise in HB 2007 is that it only takes effect if at least one other state has the same method for choosing electors. Representative Turner obviously introduced this bill because he knows that there is some chance that the Republican majority in the Pennsylvania legislature may pass a similar bill. Of course, it is extremely unlikely that the Republican majority in the Texas legislature will ever pass HB 2007. Thanks to Jim Riley for news of HB 2007.

The Vermont Supreme Court will hear arguments in Anderson v State of Vermont, 2012-272, on March 27. The main issue is the method by which independent candidates must submit their signatures, compared to the easier method required for candidates petitioning for a place on a primary ballot. The June petition deadline is also intertwined with this case. The Vermont Supreme Court has chosen to hold this oral argument at a university law school auditorium, instead of in the normal courtroom.

Six North Carolina Republican representatives have introduced HB 185, the “Ballot Reform Act.” It would alter the order of political parties on the ballot, and abolish the straight-ticket device.

Under current law, parties with at least 5% of the registration are listed on the ballot in alphabetical order. Because “D” comes before “R” in the alphabet, this means the Democratic Party is always first on the ballot, and Republicans are always second. The bill would say that the party listed first on the ballot is the party that elected the Governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. The bill doesn’t seem to take cognizance that conceivably, an independent would have won the most recent gubernatorial election; or a party with registration of less than 5% might have won that election. The bill says parties with less than 5% of the registration would appear next (in alphabetical order) followed by independent candidates.

The bill also abolishes the straight-ticket device. The Senate bill that abolishes the straight-ticket device, SB 82, does not have any provision about the order of parties on the ballot. Thanks to Kevin Hayes for the news about the bill.