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.

The Federal Election Commission, at its April 26 meeting, had been scheduled to decide whether to lift the contribution limit when a candidate suffers a loss of campaign funds due to embezzlement. The request had been made by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who is running for re-election this year. The FEC had also been set to decide this issue at its April 12 meeting, but had postponed the decision until April 26.

At the April 26 meeting, the FEC postponed the decision again, and now it is scheduled for the May 10 meeting. It is alleged, and widely believed, that Feinstein’s campaign treasurer embezzled $4,500,000 from the Feinstein campaign treasury, which had previously contained $7,000,000. The treasurer has enterd a guilty plea.

On April 26, the Alabama Senate passed SB 15. As amended, it lowers the number of signatures for minor parties and independent non-presidential candidates from 3% of the last gubernatorial vote, to 1.5% of the last gubernatorial vote. It also moves the deadline for newly-qualifying parties (but not for independent candidates) from primary day, to 22 days after the runoff primary. This year the runoff primary was April 24.

The bill has an urgency clause so if it is signed into law, it takes effect immediately. However, if it to be helpful in 2012, any minor party would need to move quickly, because the new petition deadline for minor parties would be May 16 this year. The number of signatures would be 22,415 for statewide office. Thanks to Richard Rutledge for this news.