On June 8, the California Senate Elections Committee passed AB 459, the National Popular Vote bill. The vote was 3-2.
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On June 8, the California Senate Elections Committee passed AB 80 unanimously. It moves the presidential primary from February to June. It saves money by combining the presidential primary with the primary for other office. The bill has no effect on the petition deadline for independent candidates (which is in August) nor on the deadline for a new party to become qualified by obtaining 103,004 registrations (which continues to be in January).
On June 1, the Alabama legislature passed HB 425. The bill moves the primary (for all office) in presidential election years from June, to the second Tuesday in March. Under the old law, there was a separate presidential primary in February but the primary for all other office was in June.
Because the petition deadline for previously unqualified parties, and for non-presidential independent candidates, is on primary day, the bill has the effect of moving these petition deadlines from June to March. No one in the legislature seems aware that in 1991 the 11th circuit struck down Alabama’s old April petition deadline for new parties and non-presidential independent candidates. That case was New Alliance Party of Alabama v Hand, 933 F.2d 1568. Furthermore, back in 1991, the petition was 1% of the last gubernatorial vote; but ever since 1997, it has been 3% (the bill raising the number of signatures passed in 1995 but was not in effect until 1997).
It is almost a certainty that a lawsuit will be filed against the new deadline.
The Alabama legislature adjourns on June 9. The bill to lower the number of signatures, SB 17, never made any headway after passing the Senate Committee back in March.
On June 7, the Arizona Secretary of State officially notified the Green Party that it is ballot-qualified for 2012. Although the Green Party did not poll 5% for Governor in 2010, and though it does not have two-thirds of 1% of the voters registered into the party, the party is on under a bill that passed this year. The bill says parties that petition for ballot status are on for two elections, not just one election. The Green Party had successfully petitioned in 2010 in Arizona, so it qualifies for 2012 as well. There had been some fear that the Secretary of State would rule that the 2010 petition didn’t count for 2012, but that fear is now groundless. Thanks to Leenie Halbert for this news.
On June 7, National Popular Vote Plan bills passed legislative chambers in Delaware and New York. The Delaware House passed the bill 21-19, with no Republicans voting “yes”. By contrast, the New York Senate passed the bill overwhelmingly, with Democrats supporting it 26-2 and Republicans supporting it 23-8. This is the first time any legislative chamber with a Republican majority has ever passed a National Popular Vote Plan bill. Thanks to John Koza for this news.