On April 30, the California State University at Northridge (in Los Angeles) Student Association sponsored a debate for candidates running for U.S. House in the 30th district. This is one of the best-known U.S. House races in California this year, because it pits two Democratic incumbent Congressmen against each other, Howard Berman and Brad Sherman. Redistricting forced them to run against each other.

Under the California top-two system, all seven candidates in this race will appear on the June 5 primary ballot. There are three Democrats, three Republicans, and one Green, Michael W. Powelson, a former history professor at this very school and also at LA Valley College. Powelson has a PhD from Columbia University and is endorsed by the Green Party.

The debate organizers determined that they would only invite candidates whom they expected had a chance to place first or second, so they invited the two incumbent Congressmen, and two Republicans. The debate organizers explain their reasoning here. They felt 7 candidates on the stage is too many.

This incident shows that the top-two system cannot give minor party candidates a realistic chance to appear in candidate debates. If the only candidates in the primary season who will be invited to debate are those perceived to be the front-runners, that becomes self-fulfilling. Minor party candidates won’t qualify for the November ballot, nor can they be write-in candidates in November, so they never get a chance for full exposure. UPDATE: see this coverage from IndyBay.

On May 2, the Alabama House Constitution, Campaigns & Elections Committee held a hearing on SB 15, the bill that eases the number of signatures for independent candidates (for office other than President) and newly-qualifying parties. The bill also moves the petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties from March to May.

The Alabama Secetary of State’s office sent a representative to oppose the part of the bill that moves the petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties from March to May. Also, the Probate Judges Association sent a representative to oppose the part of the bill that cuts the number of signatures for independent candidates. Probate Judges are elected in Alabama on a partisan basis, and presumably all of them are major party members, and they dislike increased competition. However, the bill does not lower the number of signatures for independent candidates for county office, just federal and state office.

The Committee sent the bill to a Subcommittee on Campaigns and Elections, headed by Representative Paul DeMarco. His staff is researching how Alabama ballot access laws compare with the laws of other states. For Presidential elections, for procedures that allow a party label, Alabama requires more signatures than any other state except California, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas. The requirement in Alabama is 44,829 this year, if a party label is to be allowed. It is possible the North Carolina legislature will lower the requirement this month.