As previously reported, because the Virginia Governor and the Virginia legislature changed the effective date of HB 1151, the Libertarian Party’s presidential petition, which had 2,100 signatures, is not valid and the party must start all over. The Virginia Green Party’s petition, which had almost 2,000 signatures, is also now invalid.

As reported earlier, the legislature had unanimously passed HB 1151 on March 2, saying that the old U.S. House district lines can be used in years after redistricting, if the redistricting had not been done until the election law year itself. No one could have guessed that on the last possible day to act, April 10, the Governor would ask the legislature to change the effective date of that bill from “now” to 2013. Nor could it be known that the legislature would agree with the Governor’s request, which it did on April 18. Because the Virginia petition requires the presidential elector candidates to be listed, and there is a residency requirement for each elector, the old petitions are worthless. Each of the parties had one candidate for presidential elector who was put into a different district.

On April 27, Gary Johnson expects to file evidence with the Federal Election Commission that he has qualified for primary season matching funds. The law requires contributions of at least $5,000 from at least 20 states. Individual contributions can be as high as $2,500, but only the first $250 of any individual’s contribution counts toward the matching funds requirement. Johnson believes he has met the threshold in 23 states. If his application is approved, he will be the second person to receive such funding this year. Buddy Roemer is the first.

Candidates who are seeking the nomination of a party may use the funds for ballot access for the general election. The FEC considers the petitioning process to be the equivalent of other activities that also involve the nominating process. Minor party presidential candidates in past elections who have received federal matching funds include Sonia Johnson of the Citizens Party in 1984; Lenora Fulani of the New Alliance Party in 1988 and 1992; John Hagelin of the Natural Law Party in 1992, 1996, and 2000; Ralph Nader in 2000, 2004, and 2008; and Pat Buchanan in 2000.

Jill Stein is also seeking federal funds this year.

On April 25, the Oklahoma Senate unanimously passed HB 1058. The bill now goes to a conference committee, because the version the House passed last year is different than the Senate version. The House version is much better. It lowers the number of signatures for newly-qualifying parties to exactly 22,500. The Senate version keeps the same petition requirement as the existing law, in presidential election years; but it lowers the number of signatures in mid-term years. Existing law requires signatures of 5% of the last vote cast, but the Senate version changes this to 5% of the last gubernatorial vote cast. Oklahoma, like most states, elects its Governors in midterm years.

If the Senate version had been law in the past, the number of signatures in 2010 would have been 46,324 signatures. In reality, the requirement was 73,134. So, the improvement in midterm years is very significant. However, it is disappointing that the Senate version offers no improvement whatsoever in presidential years. Thanks to Richard Prawdzienski for this news.